Crash Bandicoot: Genesis
by CynderFanForever
Summary: Crash was just a normal Bandicoot, until Neo Cortex came along and made him into a general for his armies, alongside three other monsters with specific powers. Crash realizes something different within him and sets out to stop Cortex and his monsters before the islands are taken over, while still unaware of the secrets Cortex is holding from him.
1. The Experiment

**The Experiment**

The doctor stood at the door to his laboratory. He was ready to complete the last experiment. He'd been waiting for six long months to find the right leader for his generals, but those he'd made were all insane somewhere, either deep inside or where it was able to be shown to everyone else.

Many of those he'd experimented on were animals, taken from around Australia and Tasmania. Most of those he'd taken now had their own special abilities and special characteristics.

But the new one was who he believed could become the leader of his generals. He just seemed so right, so ready for the role. But he needed to make sure.

The new experiment was a Bandicoot, one of those he'd found in a litter of them. While most of the others had died during experimentation, he and one other had survived. There was another Bandicoot he'd experimented on, but she was more of his queen now than anything else.

The man's named was Neo Cortex. He was a human with yellow skin. Stamped on his forehead was a black "N." He was just as insane as he was amazingly gifted and smart. That was the same with the others who had helped him.

One of his assistants, Nitrus Brio, who also had yellow skin and the "N" stamped on his head, stood over by the experimentation table. He was waiting.

The doors behind them opened, and in came a stout and fat man with gray skin. One side of his face was made of machinery, due to the rocket that had embedded itself into his head. Cortex had helped him to survive the accident, and now the man, known as N-Gin to them, was left with a rocket in his head and great knowledge of many things.

But he was not as smart when it came to restraining the lab rats. The small Bandicoot in his hands was seemingly biting back at him. He ran over to Cortex and Brio.

"What took you so long?" Cortex snapped.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Cortex," he replied. "This one wouldn't stop biting me! He seems to be very vicious."

"Good, that means he might just be able to help us with our upcoming mission!" Brio exclaimed. His voice was high-pitched and it annoyed Cortex very much. He was the closest to complete insanity, he believed.

"Yes," Cortex said. "Now, put him on the chair, and let's see how he turns out! Then we can decide if it will be he who becomes the leader of the generals or someone else!"

As the Bandicoot was placed into a chair, Brio restrained him, and he was lifted into an egg-shaped device. Blue light leaked out of the bottom opening.

As they waited, Cortex said to Brio, "Go get the others. Make sure they're not in the worst moods, either."

Brio nodded and ran out of the room. Cortex sighed; one of those he'd made to be a general was completely insane. Another was strong enough to break through the strongest steel (and bite through it as well). But the one he counted as best of all was a hybrid who could control fire and spoke in an Australian accent.

When Brio returned, Cortex looked his other three generals over. He named the insane one Ripper Roo, who had actually been in the mutation device too long and it made him have to wear a strait-jacket. He was all blue, with yellow eyes that seemed to be swirling like a vortex. He spoke in a high-pitched voice, but still seemed to have some smarts within his thick skull.

The other one was an orange tiger they named Tiny. He wore spiky shoulder pads, black boots, and he was more muscular than any of the other experimentations. His head was large and his snout was pointed. His eyes were a dark green, and inside them was a cross between humane beliefs and dark thoughts.

But then there was the last one. He was a hybrid between a dingo and a saltwater crocodile. Because of the cross-experimentation, he'd been named Dingodile. Due to his experiment, he could control fire and even engulf himself in fire up to a certain point without being injured. He spoke in an Australian accent. In his red eyes were the thoughts of wisdom and complete insanity. He was said to be the most dangerous out of all the test subjects. His long brown hair left over from the dingo fell over his eyes. His back and tail were that of the crocodile, which allowed him to swim well.

"What did you want us for this time?" Tiny asked in his deep, growling voice. "I was in the middle of an argument."

"With who?" Cortex asked.

"Forget it," Dingodile snapped. "Why is it that we're here?"

"You are here because we believe we've found the last general for our army!" Cortex exclaimed, laughing maniacally.

"And what exactly is he?" Ripper Roo asked, laughing in his normal high-pitched sort of way.

"He's a Bandicoot. And I think the experiment is almost over. Let us see!" Cortex ran over to the controls, searching for the override button that would stop the experiment.

When it was pressed, the chair in which the Bandicoot was sitting came back down, and they saw what he now looked like.

He was still orange, with light brown eyes. He had black eyelashes, and some of the orange fur was spiky on his back.

"What the heck?" Dingodile said. "Well, he's not as good-looking as we are, but I guess he'll do."

He, Tiny, and Ripper Roo laughed.

"Please, be good for your new ally!" Brio said to them. "What should we call him, Cortex? Also, can he speak?"

"I'm not sure," Cortex said. "Let me see." He walked over to the Bandicoot, who'd just gotten up out of the chair and was scratching his head. "Can you say anything? Can you speak to me?"

"What?" the Bandicoot asked in an Australian accent, which caused Dingodile to stare at him strangely. "Who are you? Where are we? What is this place?"

Quickly Cortex explained everything, including what had happened and what he was supposed to be doing.

"I believe we will name you Crash," Cortex said. "Yes, Crash Bandicoot sounds great! Now, can you do anything other than talk and stand around?"

"Not sure," Crash replied. "Let me check." He concentrated, and then suddenly span around at a high speed. Cortex backed away a little, trying to not get hit, knowing it would possibly hurt.

"Amazing!" Brio exclaimed. "So Ripper Roo has the power to control energy from Nitro crates, Tiny has enough strength to break almost anything, and Dingodile can control fire! And now Crash can spin around to attack his enemies!"

"Yes, it's very good," Cortex said. "Now, I have a job for you three. Unfortunately, our power levels are low. I need you four to go over to that second island and find Pinstripe. Send us a message back when you arrive. Of course, inform Crash on whatever more he might need to know. Go across the first island, just to be safe. We don't know if the natives might be planning something, so find out there and send back a message when you learn there. Do you understand?"

As the other three nodded, Crash decided to go along with it and nodded himself. But he was sure the other three would help him to learn more along the way.

"Good. Now go out there and make me and Brio proud! I have a few more friends out there just in case you need help." Cortex turned back to Brio and started talking.

"Come on, mate," said Dingodile to Crash as they followed Tiny and Ripper Roo. "There's a lot more for you to learn. I'll explain the rest along the way once we reach the boat."

When the four generals were gone, Brio said, "There was something I noticed, unfortunately. I wish I hadn't seen it, but there was that one thing in Crash's eyes."

"Yes," Cortex agreed. "He had love and friendship in his eyes. We must do something about that soon, or else. If we don't, all will be lost, and when it's lost, nothing more can be done about it."


	2. The Island

**The Island**

As the boat sped across the water, Dingodile noticed Crash seemed to be a little scared. He found amusement in this.

"So anyway," Crash said. "Who are the other friends of ours? And where would we find them?"

"The one we're on our way to find is Pinstripe. He's a potoroo that helps to run this factory for Cortex," Dingodile explained. "He's a little crazy, but then again, aren't we all? Anyway, he uses a tommy gun, so don't mess with him, because he'll take it all too seriously. Then there's Koala Kong. Of course, as you can guess, he's a koala, but he's about the size of Tiny, and about just as strong. He controls the production of the energy as it's moved over to the castle, and that's around and near the volcano, which is quite unstable and very dangerous for him. But he loves it, and that's all Cortex cares."

"Is that it?" Crash asked.

"So many questions..." Dingodile grumbled. He looked over to Tiny. "Is there anyone else I missed, mate?"

"Well, there is N-Gin," Ripper Roo said. "We just haven't seen him in a while."

"No, you simpleton!" Dingodile exclaimed. "He was there at the castle with us!" But just in case, he added to Crash, "N-Gin is the chief engineer for Cortex. He makes most of our weapons."

"Weapons?" Crash said. "Why would we need weapons?"

"We're in a sort of war," Tiny told him. "The natives are against us and have even threatened us. We need to fight back, but despite some of the weapons we've used, there are so many of them. It's almost never-ending. But soon, we believe, it will all be over and we can go on to living normal lives. Or so I hope we can."

"Well, the good news is, we've arrived," Ripper Roo announced to them as they felt the boat bump against the shore of the island. "Just so you know, there are three islands, Crash, and this is the first. We're sort of going around in a circle. It's all fun and games, but what we need to keep doing is destroying our boats so that none of the natives can sail over to the castle easily. They can never arrive there."

"Do you understand?" Dingodile asked. "Do you see that we must not do any of this crap? If you do, you're dead. And if you haven't noticed, we're not mates to be screwing with." When they'd gotten off the boat and were a few feet away from it, Dingodile turned around. "Let's say this boat is you." Crash suddenly saw a ball of fire appear in his large hands. "If you screw with us or with Cortex..." He held out his hand to the boat. The fireball sped towards the boat and blew it up. "Understand?" Crash nodded, a little scared. "Good. Now, we might come near some crates. Two of them you need to worry for. We've set them up to stop the natives from coming after us. One type is labeled as 'TNT.' They are red and yellow. You can jump on them, but then they'll have a timer, so get away quickly after that. Don't spin them, because they'll automatically explode, and you'll most likely be killed. Only I, with the power of fire in my palm, can control the blast."

"And what's the other?" Crash inquired.

"It's green," said Ripper Roo. "The label on it says 'Nitro.' No matter what, whether you so much as touch it or jump on it, you'll be dead. I can control the blast and then cause one to appear somewhere else as an attack. But don't touch one, or else you will die."

"Do you understand?" Tiny asked, wanting to be sure.

Crash nodded.

"Good," Ripper Roo said.

"Now, let's split up," Dingodile said to them. "We'll all be our own separate group. Crash, meet up with us near the temple. Once we arrive there, we can make it to the local village."

Crash nodded again, and in a matter of seconds he was alone. The other three had all gone their own way.

Looking around, he saw the only place he could go was the path right in front of him. As he did so, he noticed how much vegetation there was growing around him. But no animals seemed to be running around him. No normal animals, for that matter.

He didn't know what to think about the fact that he was abnormal. It just seemed weird to him. He guessed that most animals were not able to speak, except amongst their own species.

As he continued along his path, he noticed a crate in front of him. He realized how careful he needed to be, but then noticed it was not green or red.

Still curious, he made his way over to it and saw that it had no markings. That was what was strange to him. Despite wanting to be careful, he decided to spin.

The crate broke apart. Suddenly a rectangular brown mask with five different-colored feathers at the top of its head appeared in front of him.

"Who are you?" Crash asked, stuttering a little.

"My name is Aku-Aku," the mask said. "Who are you, and how did you come across me? How did you find me and set me free? And...what are you?"

"According to the man who made me into who I am, my name is Crash Bandicoot, and that is, I guess, what I am. I just saw the crate you were in, used my power to spin around real fast, and broke the crate," Crash slowly explained. "I do not wish to be an enemy of yours, if that is what you believe me to be."

"Wait, you said that someone made you into what you are," Aku-Aku said. "What was this man's name?"

"I heard 'Cortex,' but I don't know much more than that, unfortunately." Crash was still freaked out by the sudden appearance of the mask.

"Oh no." Aku-Aku suddenly had the expression of worry on his face. "You were made by a psychotic mastermind. Tell me, what do you feel inside?"

"I feel as if I want to help others, like I want to make sure no one in my life is hurt. But what do you mean when you say that Cortex is psychotic?"

"He takes animals from around the world and makes them into generals and soldiers for his army," Aku-Aku explained. "But now I can see that you are different. Are there any others of you on this island?"

"Yes. There are four of us altogether. But how do you know so much? And why were you in that crate?"

"I shall explain later. Where are you headed now?"

"They said we'll meet up at the temple. I guess that's near here. We're supposed to go across the islands to a factory. But we're also supposed to go to the local village. Why am I telling you this? How do I know you're not an enemy?"

"I cannot explain right now. But I will later!"

The mask suddenly left Crash standing there, wondering what he was supposed to do and to wonder about what his true morals should be.


	3. The General

**The General**

When Crash finally found the temple, the other generals stood there, waiting on him. "Where in the name of God have you been?" Dingodile exclaimed when he saw him.

"I got caught up with some…other animals," Crash told him. "Sorry about that. But I'm here now. Did I miss anything?"

"No, you missed nothing," Tiny said. "So far, at least. Anyway, Dingodile, want to tell him what we're doing?"

"Sure. We're stopping here to get ready, and then we'll be going into the village to find the chief. When we find him, we need to kill him. He's done many things wrong to us. Especially to Cortex. But remember, be careful, Crash. If the village catches you, they'll most certainly turn you into their next meal."

When Dingodile had finished, Crash gulped. He nodded a little, and then gulped again. The explanation had scared him a small amount. He felt fear creeping up his spine. He hoped none of his other fellow generals could smell it.

"Oh, and just to remind you, stay away from the TNT and Nitro crates," Ripper Roo said while cackling. "You do remember you'll die if you touch or spin either of them, am I right?"

"Yes," Crash said.

"Good."

As the others turned away from him, Crash wondered where the mask had gone. He wondered if Aku-Aku was going to find him, or if the mask had lied and he was going to let him stay with the other generals and go back to Cortex.

Suddenly Dingodile stopped walking, lifted his head in the air and took a sniff. He looked back at Crash with a strange expression.

"Crash, are you afraid?" Dingodile asked.

"Um, no," Crash lied.

"No?" Dingodile exclaimed. "NO?" He laughed. "Oh, but I think I can smell it on you! What do you say to that, my friend? WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT?"

He was at Crash's side in the blink of an eye. He punched Crash in the face, and Crash could taste blood in his mouth.

"Never screw with a hybrid composed of a dingo and a crocodile, mate," Dingodile warned him. "Fear is something none of us allow. If you keep it up, I swear…oh, I'll just wait for Cortex to decide."

He stalked off with Ripper Roo, leaving Crash and Tiny. Crash looked up to Tiny, who held out a hand to him.

"Why do you want to help me?" Crash asked.

"Dingodile may be someone I trust, but I don't believe he should have done that," Tiny said. "I'm not surprised you're a little fearful. Almost everyone I know should be. Dingodile's a different story, as is Ripper Roo. But I have some wits on me. Dingodile does have some, but his insanity will take over a lot. When it comes to Ripper Roo, his insanity is the only thing he actually has, unfortunately. But I'm the one who'll put my wits in front of me. Just don't double-cross me, and you're fine."

Crash nodded. "So anyway, what in the heck are we doing here again? Are we going to the village, or do we have to stop here for now?"

"I think we'll be exploring around her for the moment, but soon we need to get everything ready for when we go into the village. Dingodile's most certainly ready, and so is Ripper Roo. But I need to practice my strength, and you should practice your spin attack."

As he finished, he walked away, leaving Crash alone. Crash blinked, not knowing what to do. He was all alone in the temple, with the other generals in the other rooms. What was it that he was supposed to do? Hadn't the mask asked him something before leaving?

But before he could continue on with his thoughts, the mask appeared in front of him suddenly.

"What in the heck are you doing here?" Crash exclaimed as softly as he could, trying to not allow the other generals to come back and find him.

"Do you not remember what I asked of you?" the mask said. "I wanted to meet you here."

"Well, we're not in the best place," Crash told him. "The other generals are probably close by. That's why we need to be really careful. Understand me?"

"Yes, I do," the mask said.

"By the way, what's your name again?"

"Aku-Aku. And what would yours be, again?"

"Crash. I'm not sure if this is safe, Mr. Aku. But I want to help others, and these guys, calling themselves and I generals for Cortex. I am so confused. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to join with him, or if I should continue with my dreams of helping other people."

"Crash, let me tell you something," Aku-Aku said. "There are many things we must come to terms with, but when it comes to this, it is best to listen to your heart. I am not sure what Cortex has done to all the animals you've mentioned. I do not think I want to. But for now, I will help you as well as I can. Do you understand me?"

Crash nodded. "By the way, why is it you're only a mask?"

"I was once a witch doctor, although I did it all for the right purposes. My brother, Uka-Uka, did not. He has been buried deep underground, but I am left to wonder what has happened since then, if he has come back or if he has somehow given orders to others. But you must realize how insane Cortex really is. He is not normal, and he never will be. He will kill anyone if he believes they have double-crossed him. He is the reason I was in that box. You see, after I realized I was growing old, I put my soul and spirit into the mask you see before you. Now I am immortal…mostly. Fire is what hurts me worst, and that can destroy me. When he put me in the box, he did it to have me feel the same pain as my brother was and is forced to feel. I believe now he is working with Uka-Uka. That is why we must return to Cortex's castle and stop him from resurrecting my brother."

"But how in the heck are we supposed to do that? I'm stuck here with all these guys! They're not all too bad, truthfully. I mean, I just got punched by one of them, but he might just not be in the worst mood, you know?"

"I understand that you care for people at first. But soon you must find those who are on your side and those who are against the side you pick. And I believe that if Cortex has made any of these creatures, you are not safe around them. I might be wrong, but you must be safe, Crash. For now I will stay here with you. I can slip into your pocket, as strange as it seems. I will stay there as long as I must. When you come into trouble, I will help you."

"Alright," Crash said. "But what more must I know? And also, why is it that I know so many words? Most animals are supposed to be mute, right?"

"Most, yes," Aku-Aku said. "But I believe your experiment has done this to you. We will learn more as we move along in this journey. Now, let us get on our feet and move! We must get to the castle before sunset!"

"Our problem is that I have to be near these guys, or else they'll know something is up. I need to blend in for now. If I don't, I'm as sure as dead. One of them controls fireballs, so I know I'll be in trouble as soon as I cross the line."

A moment of silence came between them, but then Aku-Aku sighed.

"Fine. I understand what you are trying to do. But from what I've heard, we must hurry. If we do not stop them here, the village will suffer."

Crash nodded. The mask smiled at him.

"I see much potential in you, Crash, and I am glad to be your companion," he told him. "Now let us move on!"

He transformed into green smoke and slipped into Crash's pocket. Crash made his way to where he believed the other generals were.

But unbeknownst to him, in a small recess above, Dingodile lay there, having listened to every word. He growled, smiled in an evil way, and his red eyes began blazing with deep fury. From another person's point of view, it would look like a small blaze. It was not yet a wildfire.

"So that's what's happening," Dingodile said. He then slipped into the darkness like a crocodile into its river.


	4. The Other Test Subjects

**The Other Test Subjects**

"Doctor Cortex, have you received information from any of the generals?" Nitrus Brio asked.

"Yes," Cortex replied. "Dingodile sent me a message, and I must say, it scares me. Apparently, Crash hasn't mentioned anything about taking over the world, or even the island. It makes me wonder…but that is not the only problem. According to Dingodile, he found Crash speaking to a floating mask. That means that cursed with doctor's spirit has returned!" He turned to Brio. "You see, I found the mask following me while I was looking over the whole island. He told me that he did not want me to be on the island. He said I was too evil. I didn't like what he said to me. So I captured him, and then put him in this box. That was almost a year ago. And now Crash has found this box. He has found Aku-Aku.

"We must tell Dingodile what to do. If you ask me, he should kill Crash. But I want to see what else might happen. I want to learn what more Crash can do. I want to see how long he can remain alive after Dingodile, Tiny, and Ripper Roo leave him near the village. When he's left there, he won't be able to survive. The village people are quite vicious. They are led by a fat man known as Papu Papu. In their language, it means 'Great.' And he is great…at killing all the animals on his island for food. When Crash is caught, he will be unable to escape. But we shall wait for now and see what happens."

Brio could see Cortex was hiding something. He felt he had the right to know. "Are you hiding something that I should know?" he asked.

"Follow me," Cortex said.

Brio did so. They turned down a corridor. Brio realized they were moving toward the dungeons, which were farther below. Many of the guards were scared of what was down there. In truth, that was where Dingodile and Tiny hung out.

It was where they tortured the enemies of Cortex. And after the interrogation, the one being tortured would almost always die, either from blood loss caused by either's claws, or by incineration by Dingodile's fire attacks. Neither Cortex nor Brio truly cared. All they wanted was for their enemies to be crushed like the little bugs they believed them to be.

When they were down in the dungeons finally, Brio noticed blood splatters on the wall that he had never noticed before. It almost looked like the blood splatter was fresh. Brio didn't dare to open his mouth about it.

"What are we doing down here?" he finally asked.

"You will see," was all Cortex told him. He led Brio down the hall to a wooden door. The door's lock was in place. Cortex took out a key and placed it in the lock. Once the lock was open, Cortex pushed the door. Inside the room were two creatures. One of them was standing against the wall, while the other was sitting against a wall. "Hello, ladies," Cortex greeted.

"What have you come here for?" snapped the one sitting against the wall in an Australian accent. "Are you going to torture us again?"

"No, my dear," said Cortex. "I have no reason to do so today. Nor have I ever done so. Why do you ask? Have my generals been busy?"

"Yes, very," she replied. "Tiny is more of a kindred spirit. Ripper Roo scares me, but he is not the worst. It is Dingodile that I'm most fearful of. He slapped me across the face a few days ago. With his claws out. The claws left a scar across my right cheek. And he's threatened me with fire. It scares me so much. I can't take it."

"Don't worry, I will speak with him," Cortex assured, though he was lying. "Could you please show yourself to my colleague? He's never seen the either of you. Now show yourself, my dear Coco. And you as well, Tawna."

The one sitting on the wall stood up finally and stepped into the moonlight that streamed through the window bars. Brio felt perspiration start at the top of his face. His jaw dropped.

Coco had blond hair, blue eyes, and wore clothes resembling those a prisoner would wear in a penitentiary: black-and-white striped uniform. Her orange fur seemed a little lighter than Crash's. A scar was there on her right cheek, just as she had said. She seemed a little disheveled.

And when the other stepped into the light, Brio saw she wore a red shirt with a blue skirt. She too had blond hair, but she sported hazel eyes. She seemed to not be in the same condition as Coco.

"Hello, Dr. Cortex," the other one, Tawna, greeted. "It's been a while, has it not?" She also had an Australian accent. "I was wondering if you would be coming back. I've had to deal with your generals instead, and they're not as fun."

"Well, that will be taken care of soon," Cortex said. "I must tell the two of you something. And this is something that you must not tell anyone else. Of course, who would you say it too? Anyway, back to our situation. You see, I made a new general. And you'll be surprised at who it is. It is your brother, Coco."

Coco's jaw dropped open. She couldn't believe it. _I have a brother? _she thought. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "I don't have a brother! You must be mistaken, Cortex."

"Oh, I am not mistaken. You see, when I captured the two of you when you were normal, idiotic Eastern Barred Bandicoots, I turned you both into human-like creatures. Of course, I made you before him, but he is still older than you. Tawna was made before you both, as well, and she is older than you both. And now, my plan is coming into place…mostly. You see, Crash has been a little naughty. He has found a special mask that will give him more strength. I made him one of my generals, and this is how he repays me! Bah!" Cortex spat on the ground. "I might have to kill him now, because of that. I don't wish to say such a thing, but it is true. He betrayed me and the other generals. Dingodile is the one who told me of this, and I am sure he will beat Crash when he gets the chance. Either way, Crash will either live through this somehow, or he will be killed when the other generals leave him for dead near the village."

He threw his head back and laughed. Coco couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had a brother, and Cortex had experimented on him, as well. It hurt her a small amount, but she decided she would receive her retribution soon enough. She wanted to meet Crash, but with the way Cortex was speaking, she was unsure if that would ever actually happen.

"Well, I just wanted to speak with you ladies," Cortex said. "I am happy we were able to talk about your brother, and if he dies, I will send my condolences to you. Brio, do you have anything left to say to these two?"

"No," Brio replied. He very much wanted to get out of there and out of the dungeons. "Not at all."

"Very good. Have a nice night."

Cortex and Brio left the room. After Cortex had closed the door and they'd gone far enough away from the room, Brio said to Cortex, "Will you ever allow them to leave that room? They don't seem to like it there very much."

"No, they will never be able to leave!" Cortex snapped at him. "They will remain in there until I say so. Nothing more should be said about this subject, Brio. We must wait and see how things unfold. Tawna is the one who does not wish to be with me, even though I would like to be with her. Is that not sad? With the way she looks, she should be with me! We're made for each other!"

Brio didn't know what to say. He could see just how mad Cortex truly was. He wanted to exclaim that at him, but knew it would only end with him being punched…or something even worse.

"So what will happen if Crash somehow survives and comes to rescue his sister? What if he learns that he has a sister from one of the other generals? What if their tongues slip?"

"Ah, but that won't happen. Dingodile may be insane, but he would much rather burn Crash than reveal anything. Ripper Roo is the most insane, but he will not reveal one single thing. He trusts Dingodile much. I believe he and Tiny look up to Dingodile as their other leader, besides myself, of course. And that helps with Tiny not revealing anything to Crash. He knows that if he does so, Dingodile might kill him. Neither of them have feelings, besides those of hate and fury. Crash is much different. And that is why he must be destroyed."

Unbeknownst to them both, Coco and Tawna could hear this. While Tawna remained as silent as she could, Coco was whimpering. Her last thought before falling into a very uneasy sleep was, _God help us._


	5. Special

**Special**

Crash continued on through the temple. He found himself near the end when he saw something that scared the crap out of him: a large black spider was right there at the exit.

"Oh no," Crash said. He swallowed, did his best to smile, and attempted to speak to the spider. He didn't know if it could speak back to him. "How is it going today, Mr. Spider? Or is it Mrs. Spider? Or just Ms. Spider?" The spider didn't say anything back. While Crash knew that didn't automatically mean it couldn't speak, he was sure by now that it couldn't. It was a normal spider that could kill him and eat him. "Oh God help me."

The spider screeched at him and ran at him at full speed. Crash quickly jumped out of the way, causing the spider to hit a stone pillar. The pillar cracked, and the spider screeched again, this time in pain. But it was ready for another attack.

"Hey Crash, what's going on?" came a voice. Crash looked around wildly until he saw Tiny standing in a small recess above him.

"Can you come down here and help me, please?" Crash asked him. "I'm in a lot of trouble, it seems."

"It definitely seems you are," Tiny acknowledged. "I might help you. But could you please answer me one question before I do so?"

Crash looked at him like he was crazy. "Are you freaking kidding me?" he exclaimed. "I can't wait that long! This thing will have killed me by the time that's done!" The spider leapt at him again. It slid across the ground as he dodged. "Alright, what's your question?" Crash finally yelled at Tiny, who was smiling.

"I was just messing with you!" Tiny said. "There was no question!" He laughed, and then jumped down to where Crash was waiting.

"So what do we do?" Crash asked, staring at the spider. "That thing looks quite fearsome, if you ask me. How should we kill it? Do you have a plan?"

"Hey, calm down, we'll get through this," Tiny assured him. "This will be over before you know it." He roared at the spider and then ran right at it. The spider ran at him, too.

At first, Crash thought Tiny would run into the spider. The spider's fangs were out and pointed righat at him. If Tiny made a mistake, the spider's fangs would impale him. Crash didn't wish to see that. But Tiny surprised him.

Tiny jumped onto the spider's back, dealing it a crushing blow. The spider couldn't take Tiny's weight, and it crumpled to the ground. However, it was still twitching, meaning it was not dead.

"Well, that can be taken care of quite easily," Tiny said to Crash. He jumped once more on to the spider's back, and the spider's guts flew everywhere.

Crash felt he was about to throw up, and he fell to his knees. "Sorry," he apologized. "I think I might have been made way too squeamish."

Tiny smirked. "I understand," he said. "I think mistakes were made with all of us. You can see it with Ripper Roo. Of course, I don't think Dingodile has too many things wrong with him, and I don't think I have too much wrong with me, other than being way too strong. What do you think, Crash?"

"I'm just not very sure," Crash admitted. "I think all of you are pretty good at what you do. Dingodile seems to be the most controlling. I don't mean that in a bad way, but he seems to be the most…commanding, if you know what I mean."

"I know. And I agree with you. But I still trust Dingodile, because he was there for me when no one else was. And that made me feel special. I felt better at that time. It helped a lot."

Crash had never thought he would hear such a story as Tiny's. He couldn't tell if he was possibly lying or if he was telling the truth. But he knew there was always the possibility Tiny was actually telling him the truth. He just wished he could know for himself.

"Hello," came Dingodile's voice. "Am I interrupting something? I sincerely hope not. Because I need to speak with the both of you right now. We all need to talk; you two, myself, and Ripper Roo. Now get your bums over here before I turn the both of you into ashes."

Crash wasn't too surprised at hearing Dingodile speak this way anymore. In fact, he was now almost expecting it.

_"Be careful," _came a voice. _"This may be a trap, Crash."_

"What?" Crash said. He looked in front of him to see that Tiny was staring at him strangely.

"Who're you talking to?" he asked.

"Er… nothing. No one," Crash said hastily. "I thought I heard something, but I think it was just my imagination. That's all."

"All right." Tiny continued to stare at him in a strange way, and then started walking to the entrance of the cave.

_"Follow them, but be very careful, Crash," _came the voice again. _"It is I, Aku-Aku. I am speaking to you through your mind. You must do the same so that you are not caught with me."_

_"I understand," _Crash mentally said back. _"This is really weird, you know. I never believed I would have to do something like this, Aku. Just please tell me nothing is about to happen to me. Because I really don't want anything to happen to me."_

_"I cannot be certain of what is about to transpire," _Aku-Aku replied._ "I will tell you, however, that you must keep your mind clean and your nose up. Keep all things you hold dearest to you in your mind right there at the front."_

_"I don't really know what I hold dearest, because I don't know too much," _Crash admitted. _"I'm sorry if that doesn't help, but I'm just saying the truth, you know?"_

_"I understand. But do you remember when you said you want to help people and keep all those that you love—even if you don't have anyone like that at the moment—from being hurt or killed?"_

_"Yes, but—oh."_

_"Exactly. Now keep doing that, and we should be fine for the moment. Do you trust me, Crash?"_

_"Yes. But if you ask me, this is still very insane. Especially when we're around these guys. Especially when we're around Ripper Roo. _Especially _when we're around Dingodile, seeing the ways in which he's been acting toward me. I have the feeling he really doesn't like me, and I don't know why."_

_"It's just the way these things go sometimes, Crash. We must find ways to cope with it. But for now, let's get out of here and go to where you are supposed to be. I am sure they are all waiting on you. Now hurry, before it is too late and they become suspicious!"_

Crash half-walked, half-ran to the exit of the cave. When he found himself outside, he was very happy that he could feel the cool island air and smell the salty ocean itself.

He found the rest of the group waiting on him. Tiny seemed to be smiling. Ripper Roo had on the insane grin he always had on, and Dingodile was staring grimly and sternly at Crash. His eyes seemed to be almost blazing. That was not a good sign.

_Just listen to what Aku said, and you'll be fine, _he thought to himself. _Just listen to what he said, and make sure to not let your tongue slip about Aku. They must not know._

"So you needed me?" he asked.

"Yes," Dingodile said. "It comes to my attention that you were a little afraid when facing a spider. Is this true?"

"Erm…" Crash began, but Tiny cut him off.

"It wasn't Crash's fault," Tiny protested. "I saw the spider come out of nowhere, and Crash had only been attempting to get out of the temple. You can't blame him for that, Dingodile."

Dingodile's face seemed to soften, something Crash had not been expecting at all. He'd been expecting Dingodile to be angry at him for the rest of the time they were on the island.

"_Thank God, we're safe," _Crash both thought and said mentally.

But then something happened that made fear strike into Crash's heart, with it beating so fast he thought he might have a heart attack.

"You've done well, Crash," Dingodile growled. "It must have taken a lot to pull off, but now it's all coming out, I believe."

"What in the heck are you talking about?" Tiny asked. He looked to Crash. "What the heck is he talking about, Crash? What's going on?"

"Crash here has been keeping secrets from all of us," Dingodile explained. "You see, I was in the temple, looking for something to eat. I came upon an area, where Crash was, speaking to this floating mask, talking about how Crash was so much different than us. Crash mentioned how badly he wanted to take Cortex down, and how much he wanted to kill us. He's been screwing with us this entire time. He is nothing more than a traitorous piece of crap! Now, where's your little mask friend, Crash? Where has he gone? Is he with you somewhere, or have you both parted ways? There is no point in lying any longer. We know your secret, and I won't stand here and just allow you to get away with it! Cortex knows, by the way. So if you don't tell me, I'll just have to kill you, Crash. So…TELL ME WHERE HE IS, YOU STUPID PIECE OF CRAP!"

Crash didn't know what he was supposed to do. He knew Dingodile had made up a few of the things he'd told Tiny and Ripper Roo what he'd said. But now he was in trouble, because most likely, they believed Dingodile. Just as Crash ran out of things to think, Aku-Aku appeared to everyone.

"Well, there he is," Dingodile said. "I've been waiting to finally meet you, Aku. Cortex has told me an awfully big crapload about you."

"You will not kill Crash Bandicoot," Aku said.

"And why do you say that? You and what army have the right to say such a thing to me, eh?"

"Crash is unlike many of you," Aku explained. "He is someone who actually has feelings for others, and if you want to kill him, you will have to get through me! I know just how amazing he is. Crash is more than amazing. He is special. I will protect him until the end of time, because I am his companion! What do you have to say to that, Dingodile? That is your name, is it not?"

"Oh yes, it is," Dingodile said. "And you know what? I agree with you, Aku. You will be protecting Crash. But not for very long." Dingodile formed fire in his hand and aimed for Crash.

However, Aku got in the way, and the fire blast dissipated as it came close. Crash was amazed, but then found Aku was breathing hard. He remembered what Aku had told him about fire.

"Run, Crash! Let's get out of here before something even worse happens! Hurry!" Aku shouted at him. Both he and Crash ran for their lives, leaving Dingodile, Tiny, and Ripper Roo in the dust.

As they left, Tiny said to Dingodile, "Aren't we going after them? They're getting away?"

"No," Dingodile replied.

"And why is that?" Ripper Roo exclaimed.

"Do you not realize where they are going?" Dingodile yelled back. "They're going toward the freaking Native Village! If they keep going that way, surely they will be killed. But if they somehow survive, then we will be waiting for them. Come on, we're getting our butts over to the second island, over to the waterfall. We'll be near Kong and Potoroo while there. If Crash comes to the waterfall, then you'll be the one to fight him, Ripper Roo. You can control TNT and Nitro blasts, and that will hurt anyone. So now come on! If Crash dies, then he won't show up, and we can go home. But if he survives and winds up at the castle, then this is just the beginning."


	6. On the Run

**On the Run**

Crash couldn't believe what was happening. He had been betrayed, and not only by one of the other experiments, but by his own self. He liked Aku-Aku a little, especially since the mask had just put his own life in jeopardy to save his, but he couldn't believe it that he was in so much trouble. Soon he would be killed. He was very sure of it.

When he was sure he and Aku were far enough away from the other experiments, they stopped. He looked to Aku and managed to force a smile at the mask.

"Thanks for saving me back there," he said. "I'm sorry you had to get in the way of fire. I know you said that was something that could kill you, and I'm sorry."

"It is not your fault, Crash," Aku told him. "It is mine. I should have been more careful while we were in the temple. Now we must be much more careful. I wish we had someone we could trust. But it seems a lot of the things on this island are attempting to kill us."

"Yeah, I noticed that, too," Crash said with a note of sarcasm. "Sorry about the sarcasm, but I'm just not in a good mood. After what we just went through, I would be surprised if anyone around us would be in a good mood to begin with. The entire world seems to be changing around me, and that is not something I want to be happening. I wish I could be normal, to be honest. I know you said I'm special, but let me tell you, I really do not want to be special at all."

"Well, that's the way life goes sometimes, I guess," Aku admitted. "Unfortunately, we must live that way. It is just the way it is. I am sorry to be the one to tell you this, Crash, but I am only telling you the truth."

"I understand that, and I don't blame you for these things, but when life comes, it gets annoying! I wish I knew more about my past, but instead, I'm stuck here! What is so wrong with everything in this world?"

He and Aku walked—in Aku's case, floated—along a path for about ten minutes without speaking. It was a while before either of them came up with something to say. Neither of them could think of anything other than what had happened with the other experiments behind them. And that was something that scared the both of them in a very, very bad way.

But finally Crash came up with something. He just hoped it wasn't anything too personal. "Aku, when you spoke about your brother…you didn't seem to have any hatred in your tone, and yet the way you actually spoke was in a sort of place where hatred would have been quite normal. Why exactly is that?"

Aku looked to him and smiled. "You are the first person—or animal, at least—to have ever asked me such a question. You see, when we were starting out as witch doctors, I still loved my brother. But when I learned he was doing everything for the wrong reasons, I no longer knew what I was supposed to think about him. He was still my brother, and I didn't think it would be right to hate him. That was, until that one fateful night."

"What exactly happened?" Crash asked.

"I was attempting to help the sick in our village. An illness had crept into it somehow, and I was trying to find why. But when I went into my brother's home to see if he might have found a way to get rid of the illness, I found he'd slaughtered some of the villagers. I still remember the scene: blood everywhere, him laughing, and his knife about to be plunged into the throat of a young girl. When he realized I was there, he began cursing at me, but he's not the best when it comes to magic, and so I was able to stop him. It made no difference, unfortunately. That girl's experience was so traumatic that she literally died of shock three days later. When our village chiefs found out about this, they interrogated both Uka-Uka and myself. They wanted to know if I'd had a hand in the whole mess. Of course, none of them truly believed I would have, because they all trusted me. It was just Uka that they did not trust. It is an unfortunate thing, and I hope you never have to go through such an experience. As I've said before, Crash, I will protect you to the best of my ability, until I die for the second time. I do not have very much strength left after defending you from Dingodile's fire attack. I must recharge, and the only way to do that is to go the Crystal Waterfall, at the end of this island. I know this whole island because this is where I once lived. I know it well, and yet I feel it has changed. And now I feel something else, and that is why we must hurry. I want to get to the Crystal Waterfall before night falls. If we do not get there in time, I do not know what creatures might be waiting for us. Hopefully I'm not scaring you too much." He looked to Crash, who shook his head.

"No, not too much," Crash admitted. "If I can deal with Dingodile and them back there, I'm sure I can deal with some of the creatures here in this forest. But—" He suddenly heard leaves rustling. Looking around, he could have sworn he saw a bush move a little. "What's going on? Are Dingodile and the others after us again?"

Aku-Aku closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate. When he opened his eyes again, they were big and wide. "Crash, we must leave now! It is not Dingodile and the other experiments that are chasing after us! We are dealing with the entire island tribe! I know they are not the same as they were when I was around. If they capture us, it will not be a very good thing. They will most likely cook you! Now run! Hurry!"

Crash took off running as fast as he could. He saw Aku-Aku behind him, hurrying just as fast as he was. Crash thought it was a little funny, as Aku-Aku had no body. But he put that behind him, knowing now was not the time to be cracking jokes. It was best he just kept running before the village people gained on him.

As he ran through the jungle, he realized just how quick he was. It amazed him very much. He guessed it had to do with whatever experiments Cortex had been performing on him. He hated to think of such things, but he realized that with the life he was living, it was pretty hard not to.

_Just keep moving, Crash, _he thought to himself. _You're doing good. If Aku speaks again, you need to listen to him. He knows how everything is supposed to be going. You just need to keep your mind clear. If any bad thoughts suddenly come into your head, swat the darn things and keep moving. You need to find a place to hide. And when I do hide, I'll probably be taking a nap somewhere. I'm just too tired to keep moving. My legs are beginning to cramp. But I know how dangerous my situation is right now. I can't stop, because if I do, the island tribe will find me and capture me. Most likely they'll turn me into some sort of a stew! I'll be cooked, and whatever parts of me they don't eat they'll throw into the ocean for the sharks to eat. And they'll pick my meat out of their teeth with my bones…Oh, what the heck am I saying? Put that crap behind you right now! You don't need to be thinking of all that! You just need to keep moving, and everything will be all right! Just keep runnin', just keep runnin'._

He was getting tired, and he knew that sooner or later he would have to give up. He couldn't take it much longer. He didn't even know where he was supposed to be going.

"Aku, where in the name of God am I supposed to be going?" Crash exclaimed. "I can't see anything other than the trees and the vines and the thick foliage! Do you even know where I'm supposed to be moving towards?"

"No," Aku-Aku replied. "I just want you to keep moving. We must get somewhere safe before the native tribe come and find you. We are not safe at the moment. We are in trouble if we stop even to catch a breath! Keep running, Crash, because I do think something good will be coming out of it sooner or later!"

Crash did what he was told and kept running. He suddenly found some sort of creature in his way. He had no idea what sort of creature it was supposed to be. Many thoughts raced in and out of his head. He decided to jump and land on the creature. As he did so, he bounced up into the air. When he landed, he looked back, which was actually not the best idea, because when he looked back in front of him, he found a pit right there. Crash jumped over it as quick as he could possibly manage. _God, something's terribly wrong with this island! _he thought to himself.

"Aku, how much longer must I do this?" Crash finally asked again, panting. "My legs are cramping, I am so very tired, and I have no idea where I'm supposed to be going! Please just tell me something! I could really use right about now, you know?"

"I am not sure, Crash," Aku replied. "I know we need to keep running. Now hurry, before—" Suddenly he stopped talking. Crash looked behind himself to see Aku had stopped.

"What is it?" Crash asked. "What do you see that made you stop right now? We're on the run from these psychopaths, and you think it's a good idea to just stop? Why in the name of God are we stopping? It's not a good idea, especially not in a time like this!"

"Crash, look ahead of you," Aku told him. Crash did so, not knowing what he was about to see. But when he finally saw it, his mouth dropped open.

There in front of them was a fortress. It seemed to have many defenses, including many of the same creature Crash had jumped over, spikes that came up every few seconds, the natives, and even TNT and Nitro crates.

"Oh my holy God," Crash whispered to himself. He turned to Aku. "How are we going to be getting past that thing? There's no darn way! It's so heavily guarded!"

"I know it seems impossible, but it must be done, Crash," Aku told him. "I am sorry. I never meant for some of this to happen. But now it has, and we're all in trouble. I hope you forgive me, Crash. I've made a mistake, and now I have paid for it. I just hope it never becomes anything worse than this."

Crash felt sorry for Aku, knowing it had never been his fault for all that had happened, and now he was all of a sudden ready to continue on. He was ready to find his destiny. He began down the path to the native fortress, hoping it wouldn't be as hard as it looked to get past everything.

"The defenses are set up well," Crash observed. "And I think my vocabulary is steadily increasing. Hm, it's kind of strange, because I would normally think of myself being that kind of a guy who only makes sounds, yet no words."

Aku smiled.

"Yes, well, let's hope nothing like that ever happens to someone as special as you, Crash. We've been forced into this, and now we must find a way to dig ourselves out."


	7. The Native Fortress

**Happy New Year, everyone!**

* * *

**The Native Fortress**

Crash still couldn't truly believe his predicament. It was something that caused his insides to churn. He swallowed hard, and then looked up at Aku again. "Are you really sure I've got to go through this?" he asked.

"Yes, Crash," Aku replied. "I am sorry about this. It is the only way to get all the way over to the Crystal Waterfall. You are fortunate it is the afternoon, however. If it were near nightfall, this wouldn't help very much. Do you understand me?"

"No, not really," Crash said with a nervous and shaky laugh. "I just want to get in there, and then get the heck out. I want to be through with this soon. I just want to have a normal life for once. I wish that could happen one of these days."

"Maybe it will," Aku said. "We mustn't give up hope that such a thing will happen soon. There is the possibility it could be all done with today. At least, that is what I hope happens. Sometimes these things don't happen the way we wish for them to, but we cannot stop there just because of something like that happening."

"I'm with you, Aku," Crash told him. "I am most certainly with you. Now come on. Let's go."

Crash made his way to the native fortress's gate. He knew there would be many tribesmen, as he'd seen many from the distance. He just hoped no one else would be in his way. He hoped he would not run into Dingodile or Ripper Roo.

_Or even Tiny for that matter._

As soon as Crash went through the front gate, a group of tribesmen came running at him, crying out in loud voices, and in Crash's opinion, waving their arms like idiots. But that didn't mean they weren't dangerous. After all, spears and knives were in their hands!

"Take this!" Crash yelled at them, sending one flying with a spin attack. Fortunately they had not been carrying a weapon, but Crash believed they were the only one without one. Every other tribesman, he believed, would have one.

"Crash, take hold of me and put it behind you!" Aku yelled at him. "Do it now!"

Crash listened and did so. He felt the impact of one of the weapons hitting Aku, something he hated. He spinned again, hitting the tribesman behind him, and then brought Aku back into his sight. He was unscathed.

"That will not hurt me, Crash," Aku reminded him. "Fire will, and for some reason, I cannot get it out of my head. But no matter. Close your eyes, because I feel energy inside me, and you should not be blinded by what is to come!"

Crash once more listened, knowing to never be stupid when it came to mask. He closed his eyes and heard a sudden whooshing sound. He felt his fur ruffle, and then he heard Aku say, "Open your eyes." Crash did so, and when he surveyed the area around him, the tribesmen were all on the ground.

"Are they dead?" Crash asked.

"No," Aku replied. "Only unconscious. But we must leave before they can awaken. Fire is still in my mind for a reason I know not, and if it is there, that might mean we must hurry on. This is a dangerous place, and you are not to be captured. Now come."

Crash hurried to a ladder that led to an upper level of the Native Fortress. As he climbed, he heard the sounds of the tribesmen on the ground beginning to wake. He knew he now had to hurry before they noticed where he was going.

He heard the sound of chanting and shouting, as well as smoke, and he wondered how close the tribesmen were. They were either cooking something, or getting ready to cook something. _Let's hope that whatever they're planning to cook, it's not me_, he thought.

He stopped climbing and swiftly, yet carefully, made his way through the Native Fortress. Looking around, he saw at the top of the Native Fortress was a bridge. He wondered where that led to. Wherever it was supposed to lead to, that was where he was planning to go. So long as he got away from the tribesmen, that was all he cared about.

"Hurry, Crash!" Aku said to him. "The visions of fire are still vivid in my mind, and I see them coming soon, most unfortunately! The tribesmen are not far behind either, and they are hoping to cook you!"

"Please tell me that's the fire you're thinking of!" Crash exclaimed.

"Unfortunately, I do not believe it is," Aku told him. "I have a feeling it might be something else. I'm not sure what, but I hope that it is not what just entered into my mind!"

Crash wondered he could be thinking of, and then his eyes widened. He hoped Aku was wrong in that prospect, as well. If that prospect was to come true, then something very bad was coming his way. Something very bad, indeed.

_Just keep running, _Crash told himself. _Just keep running. So long as you keep running, you will be able to keep living. The tribesmen are still coming after you, and they won't stop until you are dead and cooked for their own dinner!_

There was the sudden thrum of a bowstring, and an arrow came right past him, nearly grazing him. He thanked God for it not doing so. If he lost any blood, he would most likely be put in some sort of traction. He couldn't let that happen, not so long as he was trying to get away from his new enemies. He couldn't believe he'd already made so many of them. He'd believed he'd be safe for as long as he was alive. But now he was in deep danger, much to his chagrin. He did not blame Aku for this, knowing that Dingodile had most likely believed he was a danger to them from the very beginning. That was the main problem with everything.

"Crash, keep running!" Aku yelled at him. Crash looked back at the mask, understanding his concern for him, all the while believing the mask could actually be of some sort of help towards him. He needed something to help him get through all that was about to happen to him.

"Please, Aku, give me something that could actually help me through all this!" exclaimed Crash. "Please, help me! You're supposed to be protecting me! That is what you said to Dingodile before he had the chance to kill me! Please, just please, give me some sort of protection, or even some sort of encouragement!"

"I am sorry, Crash," Aku apologized. "My mind is not as clear as it needs to be at the moment! I know I need to help you, but I must concentrate! Please give me time!"

Crash nodded. He saw a tribesman with a spear running at him suddenly. He jumped over him, as high as he possibly could and then whirlied around to kick the tribesman so he could not turn around and come after him again. He then stop for a moment and looked around, surveying his surroundings. He hoped there was no very dangerous tribesman around. If there was one who posed a very big threat to him, then he would be in major jeopardy.

He realized he was safe for the moment. He knew he would be fine for a short time. He looked up and saw a gate that would allow him to get through to a hopefully safer location. He saw that a drawbridge would need to be brought down to make it all the way up there. The path to the drawbridge was clear, it seemed, but Crash knew he would have to continue being careful. There could be tribesman anywhere around him, waiting for him to make his move. He just wished he knew where Dingodile and the rest of the experimentations were far off his trail.

He hurried toward the drawbridge quickly, ready for any source of trouble. However, he experienced no trouble until he was three-quarters of the way to the drawbridge.

But he overlooked only one thing. And it was not little.

"Hello, Crash," came a cold, menacing voice. As soon as Crash heard the voice, he froze in his tracks and slowly turned around. And standing right there, above him on a pedastal, was Dingodile. He was not smiling, and Crash could not blame him. "It's been a short amount of time. And now I can finally take you out. I can make sure to end you so that Cortex will be able to reward me finally. I'll get what I rightfully deserve. How does that sound, my little orange friend?" A fireball formed in his hand, and he aimed it at Crash. "Time to die, you screwed up piece of crap!"

Crash went running for his life, hoping Dingodile would miss when he sent the fireball coming at him. If it hit him, he didn't think even the tribe would be wanting him for their dinner.

"I'm screwed!" Crash yelled at the top of his lungs. "I am definitely going to be dead by the end of the day!"

"Do not say such things, Crash!" Aku told him. "Keep believing!"

Crash looked to the mask and nodded. He understood the mask's fear now, knowing that fire was the one thing that could hurt him more than anything. He knew now that if he were to die, the entire island would fall under Cortex's iron rule. The islands would be doomed because of him. He needed to keep running, he knew. He needed to stop that before it could come anywhere close to happening. He had to stop it, he knew it.

"You can't hide forever, Crash!" Dingodile yelled out to him. "I'll kill you soon enough! Welcome to the end of the line!"

Crash saw how close he was to the drawbridge. He only had a little more to go. There wasn't much more between him and getting out of the spot he was in. Hopefully Dingodile would set fire to the Native Fortress and accidentally kill himself. Crash believed he had enough luck for that to happen. He heard something whiz past him. He felt the deep heat not far from his fur. He suddenly saw the fireball fly by him in slow-motion. It actually singed him as it went by. His fear was magnified terribly. He needed to keep his calm, however, he knew. He needed to keep his calm so that he was not killed by the flames. He saw the fireball collide with the wood in front of him, sending flames althroughout the floor. Crash jumped over them. He did not look behind, but he knew that everything was now collapsing behind him, as he heard the deep, splitting crack of wood. He felt a few splinters fly into him, as well.

He saw the drawbridge right there in front of him, and he knew right then and there that he was going to make it. But then suddenly a fireball flew into the drawbridge, sending it flying into the ramparts in front of it.

Wood splintered terribly, leaving Crash to cover his face. He hurried onto the drawbridge, but he heard the splitting of the wood. A gap appeared in front of him as the drawbridge fell apart. Crash went sliding to the edge, and he was forced to make a crazy jump. He nearly fell off the drawbridge and to the ground far below. But he used all the strength left in his body to pull himself up. He then continued running. The drawbridge began sliding back, about to fall. Crash made it to the other side, much to his relief, but he knew he had to keep running. He saw the entrance, but then felt the heat. There was searing pain in his left leg. He fell to the ground and felt wood splintering all about him. He wasn't sure what had just happened, or what was about to happen. He knew he was injured, however. He hoped Aku had not been hurt. He felt hot blood streaming down his face, and as he saw the red of the blood, he blacked out.


	8. The Report and the Consultation

**The Report and the Consultation**

N. Brio hurried to the great hall. When he threw open the double doors, he found Cortex standing there, a solemn look on his face. N. Brio wondered why that was.

"Is there something wrong, Dr. Cortex?" he asked.

"A little something I have learned has offset me," Cortex told him. "Dingodile sent me a message that says Crash may have died in an explosion. I have a feeling, however, that Dingodile might be messing with me. I am not sure what is happening. We can never be sure, it seems."

Cortex heard Brio begin speaking, but he didn't want to even dare to start hearing with him. He retreated into his thoughts.

_If Crash is dead, then it is a good thing. But I have a feeling Dingodile is lying. I am not sure why he would do such a thing, but he is a combination of two very dangerous animals. That could be the main reason._

"I don't know what we're supposed to be doing with our lives, N. Brio!" Cortex cried to him. "I have been trying to live life as well as I can, but I am forced to live with the fact I've created these monstrous creatures! Dingodile scares me the most, to be honest. I gave him the ability to shoot fire from his fingertips, so what do you expect? If they turn against me, I might as well go ahead and shoot myself in the head! I'm not sure what I must do!"

"Maybe talk to…to…" N. Brio began, but his voice trailed off.

"Talk to who?" Cortex asked. "What are you trying to say?" And then his eyes widened and he groaned. "I vowed I'd never speak to him in the Shrine again! He scares me all too much! It may have been he who gave me the chance and mind to do this, but he still frightens me. I can't go anywhere near him now. He might tell me one of these days to get out of here! To leave! I don't want that!"

"But Dr. Cortex, that is what you must do!" N. Brio told him. "You must consult the Dark Elder and tell him what is on your mind! Tell him what is transpiring on that island! He might tell you what you must do next! If you want to know anything, it is best to consult him. Do you not agree with me?"

"I stopped agreeing with you a very long time ago," Cortex snapped. "You do not mean very much to me anymore. If I had the chance, I would injure you. But you've done a lot for me these past few years, and that's one of the few things I have to be grateful for when it comes to you."

N. Brio looked pleased with himself. "So will you go and consult with the Dark Elder?"

"Yes. Now, please get out of my way." He pushed past his colleague roughly and began making his way to the dungeons. He had one other thing to do before he consulted with the Dark Elder.

When he reached the door, he pushed it open and entered. He saw Tawna and Coco sitting there. They had been speaking with each other before he entered, and once they saw him, they fell silent.

"Hello, girls," he greeted. "It is nice to see you."

"Hello, Dr. Cortex," they both said back in tired voices.

"Coco, I have some unfortunate news for you."

Coco's blue eyes widened. "Does it have to do with my brother?" she exclaimed.

"Yes. He has been killed."

A single tear rolled down her cheek. She could not believe what she was hearing. It was almost too much to manage.

"I must admit, I am not very sorry," Cortex told her. "He was a traitor. He decided to go against me, girl. You must realize that he deserved his death."

Coco began crying, unable to hold in sorrow. It was something Cortex hated; he felt he wanted to slap her for shedding tears over her traitorous brother.

But he did nothing. He wondered what he could do next before he went to consult with the Dark Elder.

But he suddenly realized he did not wish to consult with the Dark Elder. He kept on putting it behind him, something he knew he would be berated for. But he knew no one would blame him. It was a perfectly normal thing. Or so he believed.

A plan came into his mind. He knew what he could do to make time pass even more so that he would not have to listen to the Dark Elder for very long.

"Tawna, could I see you outside this cell for a moment?" he asked. Tawna slowly got to her feet and followed Cortex out, while Coco stared at them with baleful eyes. Both Cortex and Tawna could hear small whimpers emenating from her.

"What is it you want, Dr. Cortex?" she asked, her voice tired.

But Cortex said nothing. Instead, he pushed her head towards his and roughly kissed her. He would not let go. He kept kissing her, and he realized she was going along with it. That was something Cortex liked. He caressed her abdomen area, then stroked her hair.

But then it was over.

After five minutes of kissing one another, they were finished. When they broke apart, Cortex smiled at her, and Tawna did the same. However, their smiles never reached either of their eyes.

"Now, get back into your cell for now," Cortex told her. He grasped her hair and pulled her down to his level, as she was a little taller than he. She grunted in pain as he did so, but he paid that no mind. "If you tell anyone else what happened tonight, I will kill you. Do you understand me?"

She slowly nodded. He smiled, released her, and shooed her back into her cell, almost like a farmer does a cow or a pig.

Once that was done, he walked slowly to another room in the castle. He hated going there, as that was where he consulted with the Dark Elder. He knew that this would not be ending in the best way, and that he would most likely receive punishment.

When he reached the room, he noticed the small warmth that came from torches that lined the walls of the rest of the castle was gone. Not a single torch was lit down the hall where he stood now. They had been, but they'd gone out a long time ago, and he'd never dared to relight them.

It was cold and damp around this part of the castle, and the aroma of brimstone filled the air. He wondered what "wonders" he would be hearing of today.

As he opened the double doors, he shivered, and then entered.

"What took you so long?" came a deep, booming voice. Despite being such a deep and booming voice, it was quite calm. But Cortex knew it would not last that way for very long.

"I had some…business to take care of," Cortex lied. Unfortunately for him, his lie shone right through on his face.

"Don't mess with me, Cortex," the voice said. "I do not take lightly to insignificant little boys who believe they should be called men just because they accomplished something. Let me tell you, you have accomplished nothing! You deserve nothing! However, I will congratulate you on something."

"What is that?" Cortex asked.

"Creating Dingodile. He has become your best asset. I want you to keep him near you. But I must say something. Crash Bandicoot is not dead. I hope you realize that."

Cortex's eyes widened. "I wouldn't believe that. Dingodile sent me that message…and he said Crash was dead."

"He was lying to you. It is only normal," said the Dark Elder. "He wants Crash for himself. He has most likely found that Crash lied about something."

"But what could Crash have lied about?"

"Don't you realize it Cortex?" Cortex thought for a moment, and his eyes widened again. "Yes. Crash was able to find my brother."


	9. Darkness

**Chapter Nine: Darkness**

There was the soft drip-drip of water on stones. He had no idea where he was. He could barely feel anything in one of his legs. It was all pain, and he hated it. He felt he had to get himself back up. He needed to know where Aku-Aku was.

_I need to know where I am, _Crash thought._ I am in dangerous territory, I know. Dingodile, Tiny, and Ripper Roo are somewhere around here, and so long as they are, I need to be really careful. I hope Dingodile didn't hurt Aku. He's the only one who actually can, since he controls Fire. I have to get up and find out, but for some reason, I don't think I can. Why is that? _And then he remembered the whole experience. _The Native Fortress. I was injured because Dingodile caused the whole Native Fortress to explode. Oh God, I am in so much pain right now! I have to get the heck out of here, but I cannot even move!_

He groaned in pain. The pain in his injured leg intensified, and soon it subsided. But then he groaned again as the pain once more intensified. He heard a deep, evil laugh, and his eyes then widened as he realized who the laughed belonged to: Dingodile.

"What's the matter, Crash?" taunted the hybrid creature. "Why are you in so much pain? Hm? Oh yes, now I remember. I set fire to the Native Fortress. I am the reason for your leg injury. I am the reason for your wounds at the moment. I have caused you much pain, and I am proud of that. So tell me, crapface, what more can I do for you? I'm just…_itching _to do something to you!"

"Then go ahead and do it," Crash rasped. "Don't be a coward. Go ahead and kill me, if you so very much wish to."

He heard Dingodile growl, and then the growl ceased. A laugh came.

"Crash, you delusional freak," Dingodile said. "I've heard a lot of…doozies…in my day, but that one takes the cake. You know, for many years, I've been wanting to take down all those who opposed Cortex, but the truth is, I want to take Cortex down all on my own and take over this miserable land."

"Then do it," Crash told him, not caring if he infuriated the hybrid more. "You're going to keep being a sissy if you don't go ahead and do it, you know. So do it. And shut up about it. No one wants to hear you speak but your own darn self."

"Listen to me, you dog!" Dingodile roared. "I've spent nearly five years of my freaking life waiting for the right moment to end Cortex! I now have my chance, and if you want to go ahead and stand in my way, then you have another thing coming for you!"

Crash felt deep pain in his injured leg, and he realized Dingodile was digging his claws into the wound. It hurt more than anything in the world. Crash was doing all he could do to not scream out in pain. But it was hard for him.

Another thought entered into Crash's mind, and he had to speak it. There was no point in not doing so.

"Where's Aku?" Crash asked. "Where in the name of God have you put him?"

"The piece of crap succeeded in escaping, much to my hatred," Dingodile told him. "But that doesn't mean I won't find him soon enough. And when I do, I'll kill him. The only reason I haven't killed you yet is because Cortex wants you. I won't stop believing it'll be I who ends your pathetic little life. That is my wish, you know. Ending you will put me up great with my creator."

"You shouldn't follow what Cortex wants you to do," Crash said. "You should become your own person. You should be who you think you were meant to be. Not some monstrous thing he wants you to be."

Dingodile laughed. "You think it's that simple?" he growled. "It seems that in this life, we don't have a choice. Especially when it comes to Tiny, Ripper, and I, as well as the rest of the creations. We have no choice, because we were created by Cortex. We have no choice in this world, it seems. I hate it. I believed it's screwed up. But I'm going to keep believing this will end soon enough."

Crash wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. It seemed Dingodile had been sharing his life with him, something he wondered if he could use to his advantage.

He saw that Dingodile was thinking, and he wondered what more would be coming of all that was happening.

"You know what," Dingodile said, "I think I might take your advice. I want to be different from everyone else. I want to be able to make my own decisions. Cortex has been holding me back. It's time I become my own person." He held his claws to Crash's throat. Crash attempted to move out of the way, but a heavy foot came down on his chest. "No, no, no. I don't think so, little freak. It's time we end your pathetic little life once and for all. It's time I become the person I was meant to be. Say goodbye, you a—" He suddenly groaned out in deep pain, and Crash looked up to see blood dripping from his nose. He growled in pain.

There was the sudden sound of footsteps. Crash turned his head again to see Tiny run through the cave's entrance. He saw Dingodile's bleeding nose. "What in the name of God happened to you?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter," Dingodile replied. "What's happening?"

"It's the Natives," Tiny said. "They're coming this way. It seems they found the trail of blood left behind by Crash's bleeding leg, and if they follow it too much, then they're going to discover us!"

Dingodile began laughed. When asked why that was, he said, "We'll be able to take out Crash in a more simple way. I wanted to be able to kill him myself, but at least the natives will get more than just some fun out of it. They'll be able to get some food. So you see, it works both ways. We end the…'Special,' and the Natives get their dinner tonight."

He took hold of Crash in his claws and dragged him out of the dark cave, into the red-orange light of the setting sun. He picked Crash up and threw him at a rock face. Crash felt the jarring impact even more as a result of his hurt leg.

"This is where we leave you, Crash," Dingodile told him. Crash looked up to see the three other creations standing in front of him. Dingodile, however, was the only one smiling. Ripper Roo and Tiny seemed quite angry, and Crash couldn't blame them exactly. "Hasta la vista, you screwed up piece of crap."

The three other creations ran as fast as they could, and Crash was left behind, wondering what he was supposed to do. He looked down at his leg, and saw a large amount of dried blood caked there. It disgusted him very much. He forced himself to look away, and knew automatically it would be hard for him to walk. No, it wouldn't just be hard. He wouldn't be able to do it at all.

"Crap, this isn't good," he said to himself. "I need to do something, but I'm not sure what I can do." He thought of the situation, and laughed a little. "And here I am, about to die, and I'm talking to myself. How insane is that? Very. Good God, this isn't good."

He heard the sound of voices, all of them speaking in a strange language, and as a result, he wasn't sure what was being said. He looked up and saw a group of men and women, with many of them resembling the Natives from the Native Fortress. _Of course they do,_ Crash thought. _That's because they are the Natives._

He saw their leader, easily identified by his large mask, covered with a red symbol, which Crash didn't know. How could he? He didn't even know how to read. And yet he knew all these words, and knew so many things, much more than he would have thought many hours ago.

The leader also had a large belly, popping out past his hula skirt.

"Who are you?" the leader asked in a guttural voice.

Crash dind't wish to speak at first. But soon he attempted to do so. "I…" His voice trailed off. The pain in his leg increased rapidly, and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Soon enough, his eyelids became heavy, and fell into darkness.


	10. The Native Village

**The Native Village**

He heard sounds all around him. He didn't know what had happened. Everything was strange with the world around him, he knew. But he couldn't think much more than that. He slowly opened his eyes and found the village leader looking over him. He slowly put his fingers to his lips and said softly, "It is all right. You are safe."

Crash didn't know what the village leader was saying, and he went back to sleep. When he woke again, he found himself in some sort of a wooden building. Sunlight filtered in through a glass window. Slowly Crash eased himself up on his side, feeling pain in his injured leg…though it did not hurt quite as much as it had. Looking over to it, he found it was now bandaged, with small splotches of blood having leaked through.

"Hello?" Crash said, his throat dry, his voice raspy. "Is anyone there?"

"Crash?" came a familiar voice. Crash's eyes widened, and he turned his head to see Aku-Aku floating there. He smiled at Crash when he saw him. "Thank God you're awake."

"Aku! You're alive!" he exclaimed. "Oh God, I thought Dingodile had killed you! How did you escape, though?"

"After he sent the Fireball at you, I did not wish to leave you, but I knew you needed help. I had to leave you to find help. I found this village, and the chief listened to me. He's heard of me before, and as soon as he learned who I am, he trusted me. He's been helping you recover this entire time. I am sorry I did not stay with you still, however. But it seems if I had not done so, you might be dead now," Aku explained.

"You're right," Crash said. "You don't need to be sorry. You did the right thing. I understood, even when I was in the cave the others brought me to, why you left. Your weakness is fire. You didn't need to be there, because Dingodile could have killed you then and there."

Aku smiled at him, happy he was being understood. Behind Crash, there was the sound of a door opening and then closing. Crash turned his head and saw the man he believed to be the village chief. His mask was off, but Crash could tell who he was by the large belly.

"Hello there," he said in his guttural voice, his voice accented. "I was hoping you would wake soon. Your friend here was worried for you, and I cannot blame him." He walked to the wooden chair and sat down. "I am Papu Papu. It seems the village I am the chief of is the village in which Aku-Aku performed medicine. I heard of his stories when I was younger, and I was amazed to learn they are not truly just stories, but that they are truth. It is amazing to know such a thing, as many of the villagers did not believe in them after a while. Even I soon began to lose hope, but now they have been proven real, and what's more, he has brought me news of a challenge for I and my warriors to face."

Crash blinked once. He wasn't sure what to say. But when he heard that last part, he was a little surprised, and knew it was best he said something to Papu Papu about the "challenge" he and his warriors were so eagerly wishing to face. "That challenge you are speaking of is not some normal challenge," Crash said. "I know what you're speaking of, and I am sorry to say, but those you are speaking of are not to be messed with. They are the most dangerous creatures I've faced, and while I haven't faced many in my lifetime, they are nonetheless dangerous. One of them controls fire with his hands, and really, his whole body. The other has extra strength, and the last one can control blasts from these two crates. I believe he called them 'Nitro' and 'TNT.'"

"I see," said the chief. "I understand your concern, and if it makes you feel any better, I will heed your caution. I did not know of those things at first, and I thank you for telling me so. I believed at first that they'd used some sort of fiery weapon, but now it seems it is something much worse. You know, I received letters from nearby villages about this kind of thing, and unlike the caution you show, I did not heed the warnings. I've lost many warriors as a result. We found their mutilated bodies in swamps and rivers and even in the ocean! Some also had their necks snapped, some had their bellies torn open, some were shot, some torn in two, and then the ashes of others. We could only tell who they were by what remained of what had once been theirs. The weapons we use have a specific family symbol for the respective warrior. So we looked for those as well. Some of them we cannot identify, however." He sighed. "It's unfortunate. But now I can see what might have happened, and I know it's best we're careful from this point forward."

Crash nodded. The village chief seemed quite nice, in his opinion. If he trusted Aku, then that was all that mattered to him. It was because of him that he was still alive. Of course, Aku had told them, but the chief trusted Aku anyway.

Crash sighed. He looked to Papu Papu. "Thank you for bandaging my leg. It really hurt when it happened," he said. "I just hope I have time to recover."

"You are welcome," Papu Papu said. "I will help you get back into shape. Maybe we should brawl sooner or later. A small, fun fight between us might help us."

"A fight? But I thought we were allies?" Crash said, flabbergasted, not understanding the true meaning behind Papu Papu's words.

The chief just laughed, as did Aku. When Crash looked at them strangely, wondering why they were laughing at him, Aku said, "Not a real fight, Crash. Just one where you can test your strengths against one another. It is a way you can get back into shape. Once that is done, then we must find where the creations went off to."

"When they took me to that cave, I heard nothing of their next plans, unfortunately. I don't remember anything they said before that, either. I wish I could help more, but I just can't remember very much more than what I've said to you now."

"It is quite all right, young one," said Papu Papu. "You've gone through much in a short amount of time. You've done well, however. I believe you can become someone quite amazing soon enough."

Crash nodded and smiled. "Thank you. Is there something I can do while I'm here? I feel I must help someone right now. It's something in my nature. I don't know how I feel about it, but it's a fact."

"Maybe soon," said Papu Papu. "But for now, I think it's best we three discuss our next course of action. So you've met the creator of theses creatures you've spoken of?"

"Yes, and he's quite insane, or so I think. To create an army of these things…The three I've met so far have tried to kill me! Is it wrong to want a normal life? I just don't understand any of this."

"It is not wrong to want a normal life, Crash," Aku spoke. "I wanted such a thing myself, back when I worked for this village. When my brother became evil, I wanted to tell him just how wrong he was. That he'd chosen the wrong side. But Uka-Uka did not listen to me, and he went to the side of evil. Now he is gone."

"I know one thing for sure, Aku," Crash told him. "I will save whoever I can. No one will die on this mission, I am sure of it. I will save this whole village if I have to."

Silence fell over them.

Soon enough, however, it was broken by Papu Papu.

"It is time we introduce you to my people," he said to Crash. "They have heard of you, and it is time they get to see you up close."

Crash nodded and smiled. "That sounds good," he said.

Papu Papu got to his feet. He asked, "Do you need help getting up, Crash?"

"Maybe," Crash answered. "My leg still hurts…" He attempted to get up, and then groaned. "Yeah, I need help."

Papu Papu laughed. He grasped Crash's shoulder and pulled him to his feet. He reached over to a wall and took a stick in his hand. "Here you go, my friend," he said. "It will help you walk."

"Thank you," Crash said. He leaned heavily on the stick, hoping to not fall. He followed Papu Papu slowly, and when he looked to his right, he found Aku Aku floating near him. Aku looked to Crash and smiled.

When they reached Papu Papu's front door, he stopped before he opened it, and said, "Let's see how they react to you, Crash." He smiled again, and then opened the door, allowing Crash to see all that was outside.

The village was beautiful, with sprawling green grass hills surrounding them. Crash stood there, his mouth agape.

"My God," said Crash. He looked over to Papu Papu. "So where are your people?"

"Just wait a moment," he replied. Then he cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled out, "Come, ny people! You may show yourselves!"

Soon enough the villagers showed themselves, and there were too many for Crash to count.

"This is the one you've heard much of!" Papu Papu said. "He is the one the mask, known as Aku Aku, once a doctor for this village, told me to find, and now he is here, and he will be the one who will stop the darkness from descending upon us! His name is Crash Bandicoot! Remember that name!"

"Crash Bandicoot!" the villagers yelled. "Crash Bandicoot! _Crash Bandicoot! CRASH BANDICOOT!"_

And from that moment on, Crash had a renewed sense of hope. He would not hide in the darkness any longer. He would fulfill what Papu Papu was speaking of, and he would make sure no one would die during it all. But as it happened, something terrible was taking place in the northern region of the island.


	11. Warriors and Bloodshed

**Warriors and Bloodshed**

It had taken them a day and a half to reach this spot. They were still not sure what they were supposed to do. While Dingodile had acted as a good enough leader, Tiny and Ripper Roo were sure they were lost, though they did not dare to bring this up with Dingodile, knowing how explosive his temper could really be. Meanwhile, Dingodile's mind was on finding out the reason for why blood had leaked from his nose when he'd attempted to kill Crash. Something was wrong with him, he knew. He would have to do something about that soon enough. But he could only do so once he understood exactly what was wrong with him. For now, he would let it pass.

In front of the three creations was the path leading to the Vathý Galázio Waterfall, near the Krasí-Kókkino Ocean, which Tiny and Dingodile would be taking to the second island. Ripper Roo would be left behind at the Vathý Galázio Waterfall to prepare the Nitro and TNT Crates that Cortex would be using to stop the Natives from following them.

"There it is," Dingodile said. "We must follow the path to the waterfall, and from there we shall leave you, Ripper. Do you understand that?"

"Very much so," Ripper Roo said. "I'm ready for all this to end. At least we won't have to deal with that annoying Bandicoot ever again."

"Amen to that," Tiny said. "You know, I heard Cortex saying once he was planning to experiment on a wombat. I think he named him Willie. It was either that or Wuzzy. I'm not sure, I was probably drunk at the time." He laughed. "Blame N. Brio and N. Gin for that. They're both insane."

"What happened to that wombat, Tiny?" Dingodile asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Well, then, I might as well tell you: after the first experiment, the Wombat's mind was completely destroyed. However, Cortex wanted to experiment more on him, and during the experiment, little Willie's back broke. He died instantly as a result."

"Whatever happened to the body?" Ripper Roo asked. "Oh, this is the best part!" Tiny looked to him in a strange way, wondering how both Ripper Roo and Dingodile knew, but he did not.

"Cortex threw him into the pool down in the dungeons," Dingodile said. Tiny turned his head to him, his eyes large and wide.

"You mean the one—?"

"Yes. The one I swim in. And so, I ate the body. Now Willie's gone. And we've taken out the only other disgrace out. We'll have this island soon enough."

"Don't you mean that Cortex will have this island?" asked Tiny.

"No," Dingodile said. "We'll have it. Just the three of us."

There was a small bridge in front of them. Across it was what seemed to be a small village. But it seemed deserted. Dingodile peered at it, trying to make sure if it was safe for them or not. He knew they needed to be cautious. There was no point in being daft. They needed to make sure there was no danger.

"Stay close," Dingodile said. "This doesn't look right. I've seen this village before, when I was scouting out for Cortex in the Sea. It was full of people." He looked to his right, where the Sea was shining bright, the black-red water crashing into the sharp rocks below. "That means something isn't right."

For many minutes, all they could hear was the birds chirping, the waves crashing, the wind flowing through the trees behind them. But then Dingodile heard something. It was the sound of the leaves of a bush rustling against a human's skin.

"Show yourself," Dingodile growled. "We know you're there, human. We know what is happening here. You're a group of warriors, planning to ambush and kill us. It won't work, however. We have abilities beyond your control."

Soon enough a warrior appeared, and he seemed to be the leader. He wore a boar's mask, and he was fat. But his arms were rippled with muscle, unlike the rest of his body, which was nothing more than rippling layers upon layers of fat. "We are not afraid of you," he said, though not in broken English. Dingodile was surprised. "We were sent by Papu Papu to end you. You monsters are attempting to take over our island for the one known as Cortex."

"And who in the name of God told you all this?" Dingodile asked, totally astonished by what the warrior knew. "Who could have given you all of this freaking information?"

"An orange creature, according to Papu Papu," the warrior leader replied. "I believed he named him…Crash Bandicoot."

Dingodile's red eyes widened. "Impossible," he rasped. "There is no way that screwed up piece of crap is still alive! We left him for you to find and kill and eat! HE SHOULD BE DEAD!"

Rage filled Dingodile's entire body. He was shaking with anger, and it scared all the warriors when fire sprouted from his fingertips. He saw their reaction and smiled at them.

"Is it that surprising?" he asked. "Well, then, you should know it's not the only thing we…monsters are capable of."

"Then fight us, and do not be cowards about it," the warrior leader said. "We will stand here and fight until all three of you are dead. We will not remain standing whilst those we love are in danger! We are the Native Warriors of the Wumpa Islands! We will not be defeated, so long as our God is smiling down upon us!" He roared at the top of his lungs, as did all the other warriors. "LET US FIGHT, FOR OUR GOD AND FOR OUR HOME!"

The warriors started coming forward, and Dingodile looked to Ripper Roo and Tiny. "Let's kill them without mercy," he said. "We must do this. We don't give a freak if they die, even if they have families, do you understand?" Tiny and Ripper Roo nodded. "Then let's get to work."

Dingodile ran forward, not caring if any of the warriors had spears or blades. They wouldn't harm him, he was sure. As one came right up to him, Dingodile dodged his blade and stuck his claws right into the warrior's abdomen. Blood streamed down Dingodile's hand, and he felt the blood inside the warrior bubble and boil. As soon as Dingodile tore his claws out, the warrior began to bleed out. The tearing-out of Dingodile's claws caused the warrior's blood to spray in a few different directions. One of the warriors was blinded by the blood, and as a result, Tiny was able to come from behind and snap his neck.

Dingodile noticed Tiny's way to attack was the only way without bloody results. Ripper Roo, however, slashed the throats of the warriors with the long claws on his feet. He looked to Dingodile, who smiled and nodded back. Ripper Roo was happy now that he could do what he'd been…_itching_ to do.

"Nighty night," Ripper Roo hissed as he began cackling.

He jumped high into the air, concentrated on all his power, and when he landed, the power of a TNT crate was there where his feet had been. He cackled as he jumped away.

Not understanding what was about to happen, the soldiers became interested in the red aura of light surrounding Ripper Roo's footprints. However, little did they know it was a dangerous thing to do. But it was too late. None of them realized that until…BOOM!

The explosion burnt away the flesh from the warriors' bodies. All that was left were charred skeletons. The last few warriors were all too surprised, and it allowed Dingodile, Tiny, and Ripper Roo to finally end them. Dingodile tore his claws through his last warrior just as Ripper Roo set a Nitro essence bomb and Tiny wet his claws with blood by sticking his claws through a warrior's chest. When the Nitro bomb went off, four warriors were incinerated.

The only warriors left were the leader and a young man who seemed to be very young. Dingodile guessed he had just begun as a warrior, and only a little time before now had been a normal boy in his village.

"Watch the boy," Dingodile said to Tiny. He walked to the warrior leader. "It seems we've won," observed Dingodile. "Too bad. Some of your warriors were good fighters. But they did not die a warriors' death. They died the death of martyrs. I know what you believe in, and I don't believe in the same thing. None of us here do. And as a result, you deserve to die. You let your own warriors die this way, and so now, you get the death penalty." He laughed, though it was not a normal laugh. A deep growl and a hiss were both mixed in. Tiny heard this and realized it was because of his experimentation. He was becoming more like a crocodile now.

"Then do it," said the leader. "Do it, and stop it all now! I don't want to see your face ever again, so long as I live! I would rather die a terrible, long death! So stick me with your claws! Impale me while you still have the chance, and then leave me for dead!"

Dingodile laughed again. "Not gonna happen." There was the sound of his crocodile side hissing and growling. Tiny and the boy he was watching were forced to look away as Dingodile attacked.

When he was finished, blood and flesh dripped from his snout. Tiny was very surprised by whatt he had seen, having never witnessed such a thing. When he looked over to Ripper Roo, he saw he was giggling, as if what Dingodile had just done was nothing more than a game.

Dingodile began walking toward the kid, who began shaking in deep and unnerving fear. That just made Dingodile smile.

"Don't worry," he said. "I won't do the same to you. I'll make you do something, but I won't put my claws through you, or do what I did to him. Instead, I'll let you leave. I'll give you the chance to get your freaking butt back to your village." The boy began whimpering, and then started crying with what seemed to be relief. "That's right, be happy. But it won't help you. I have a message for your leader. We now know Crash Bandicoot is there in that village, and we want to do something to him. He is a fugitive, and unless he is brought back to the Floiós Castle by next week, we'll burn this entire island. Got that, little warrior boy?" The boy nodded. "Good." The boy began to move away, but Dingodile stopped him. "What? You think you can just walk away without getting an injury? You were lucky enough the first time, but no more." Dingodile pointed one of his claws, already covered in blood. He stuck it right in the boy's right eye, and as the boy screamed, Dingodile could only laugh. Blood streamed from the bloody hole. When he was done, Dingodile tore his claw out and said, "You can go now," to the boy who was crying in the dirt.

The boy got to his feet and began running for his life in the direction from which Dingodile, Tiny, and Ripper Roo had come. The creations resumed walking the path to the watefall, passing the body of the leader. Tiny, despite knowing what Dingodile had done, forced himself to look again. It sickened him when he saw all that Dingodile had left behind. He felt he was about to gag.

"What's the matter, Tiny?" Dingodile asked. "Weak stomach?" He laughed a little.

"Yes," Tiny said. "A side effect of the experiments, unfortunately."

"It'll pass," Dingodile told him. "If you ask me, today's only hitch was finding out that Crash is still alive." A growl escaped his lips. "I'll be the one to kill him. I know that for sure."

Silence fell around them. And then Tiny decided to ask one last question.

"Dingodile, why did you bite half the leader's head off?" he asked.

"Because I was hungry," Dingodile replied, and then laughed like a madman, along with Ripper Roo, while Tiny did his best to do so.


	12. Rumble By the Fire

**Rumble By the Fire**

Crash found himself sitting by the village chief during the feast. Aku-Aku was not far from them. However, unlike the village and Crash, he did not need to eat, so he floated there and watched them, sometimes joining in conversations with the villagers and Papu Papu.

"How long has it been since you were the doctor here in the village?" Papu Papu asked Aku. "It's been a mighty long time, has it not?"

"Yes, about two hundred years," Aku said. "It was a good time when I first started, but then it went bad, unfortunately. But let us not speak about the bad times in life. Let us go back to what good will be coming soon of Crash's adventure. I believe you are regaining your strength now, Crash?"

"Yes," Crash said, taking a long draught of the juice made from the sour grapes growing on the vines in the western area of the island, which he had learned went by two names: one of them was Ómorfos Island, which meant "beautiful," and simply Wumpa Island. Either name was acceptable, the natives said.

Crash heard Papu Papu laugh as he was about to dig into his roast pork, and he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked to the village chief, who said, "This young man says you knocked him out at the Native Fortress." Crash looked in front of him, and found a smiling young villager with a scar crossing his cheek.

"Um, I guess so," Crash said. "I'm sorry about that. I had to get out of there, and I was in trouble. I didn't mean to hurt you, sir."

The villager laughed. "Please, don't call me sir. My name is Dimitte. I understand what you were trying to do, and I don't blame you one bit," he said. "All of the villagers you knocked out are around here, and none of us blame you now that we know what happened. So do not worry, Crash." He smiled even more and walked away.

"Wow," Crash said. "It seems I don't have to worry about being in trouble. Well, not exactly."

"You are in trouble somewhat," Aku said with happiness. "But do not worry about that, Crash. Everything will be fine. We are in good moods, eating and drinking to our hearts' content. So there should be no worry going on around here."

Crash knew Aku was right. What needed to happen tonight was happiness, not fear or sadness. He hoped he wouldn't have to use those emotions until much later.

"So, Crash, would you like to rumble by the fire at all?" asked Papu Papu.

"Er…maybe, but can we wait a little?" Crash asked.

"No, not right now," Papu Papu said with a hearty guffaw. "We must get your strength back up, and we must do it now, before something happens that you must stop. Do you understand?"

Crash peered at him, and then looked to Aku, who was nodding at him. Finally Crash came up iwth his answer, knowing it was better to tell the chief what he wanted to hear.

"Yes," Crash finally said. "I will rumble by the fire, as you call it."

Papu Papu smiled. "Now let me tell them some about you, and then we can begin," he said, and he got to his feet. As soon as he stood, the village became very quiet. All of them were watching their chief intently, wondering what he might say.

"As you know," began the great village leader, "we took in a young creature who was forced into the wilderness of our island. Some of you have taken to him, calling him friend, and I am among those of you that have. He was unfortunately created by a mad scientist known as Neo Cortex. An old inhabitant of this village, known by the name of Aku-Aku, who was once a doctor for the village. Of course, that was long before any of us were even born, and he was captured by the mad scientist that created Crash. He found himself here on the island with three other creatures, who all betrayed him after he found Aku-Aku. They made their way to our Native Fortress, where he did not know what to do, thinking we would possibly cook him. And as some of you know, he knocked a few of you out."

Laughter overtook those around them. One of the villagers shouted out in a language he guessed the villagers spoke, and that which some of their names came from: "Ékane mia katariétai kalí douleiá!"

Crash looked over to Aku in confusion, and he said, "That man said, 'He did a darn good job of it.' He said it in a good way, Crash!"

"Yes, well, it seems he did," Papu Papu continued. "But he did not mean it, as I said. After he was betrayal, we found him injured. Aku-Aku told us what had transpired, and now we have taken him in! He is a friend, and he should be treated as so! Due to his injuries, we must bring him back to health, and so we are going to have a Crepant de Igne!"

A cheer once more erupted from those among the crowd, and Papu Papu turned to Crash with a huge smile. "Are you ready, my friend?"

"Yes, I believe so," Crash said. "I believe I should attempt to limp over there by myself. It would help me to get ready, if you understand." Papu Papu nodded, and Crash got to his feet. "So, what will we use to fight?"

"Nothing," Papu Papu said. "We don't use weapons in these rumbles, because we do not wish to kill each other. Understand?"

Crash nodded, and as soon as they were near the fire, he and Papu Papu circled one another. Crash wasn't sure what he was doing, but followed all that the village chief did. It seemed to be the best bet for him when it came to the upcoming battle.

"So, what do I do?" asked Crash.

"Keep circling, and watch your opponent," Papu Papu said. "Do not give a sign of weakness. Even if you are tired or weak, do as well as you possibly can in this battle. Do not allow your weakness to come forward. It will get you killed, and while this may be a sparring match, a real battle will end with death if such a thing happens."

Crash nodded. He knew Papu Papu was a reliable source when it came to these things. He was pretty sure the chief was hard to take down. He hoped he could take him down to help himself recover in time for another battle. But that would possibly take a while.

He saw Papu Papu raise his staff, and he slammed it upon the ground. Crash was nearly hit by it, and he told himself that was a very bad thing. He would not allow himself to be taken out, not here. He had nothing to lose, and nothing to prove, but he had to make sure he recovered well without being taken out.

_Just watch the way he moves, _Crash thought. _There's a specific pattern to it all. I just have to watch that as well as I can. I've not fought like this before, however. To be honest, I haven't fought at all before. This is something that will help me in the future, though, so I need to prepare myself. Despite the craziness of this situation, I need to watch for my chance. He's trying to distract me with the large crowd around me, but I'm not going to allow it to happen. I'm going to beat him. Hopefully I'm not exiled after that or eaten, though._

Crash jumped over the staff as Papu Papu swung it toward him, then ducked, and finally dodged. He saw his chance when the village leader slammed his staff onto the ground, and jumped onto the leader's back, using his spin technique. He hadn't learned it in a little while, but he was going to use it now. And when he did, it was to great effect.

Papu Papu yelped in pain when he felt the pain in his back from the hard jump and the spin. But the village leader would not stop the fight, no matter how much pain he went through. He was going to keep going until it was all over. He used another attack strategy. He placed his staff in the flames, lighting the end of it up. He smiled at Crash, whose eyes widened when he saw the flaming staff. "Oh crap," Crash said.

Papu Papu swung it at him, then slammed it on the ground, and swung it again. Crash noticed the pattern, and he wondered if he could use that to his advantage. He thought about it again, and he decided it was the best thing he could do. He saw the pattern again, and he found the best way to attack. He waited for the next attack, and just as Papu Papu swung the flaming staff at him, Crash dodged and jumped on the village leader's back once more. Papu Papu roared as Crash used the spin attack again.

Crash was breathing hard again. He was not sure what he was supposed to do now. He looked around, seeing all those watching him. Aku-Aku was smiling at him.

"You've done well," said Papu Papu. "But now comes the final part of your test. This is where you will be defeated." He smiled at Crash again, and then slammed the staff down upon the ground. Flames burst out across the grass, and Crash jumped over them as best he could. He was hit in the chest by Papu Papu's staff—fortunately, it was not the burning part of the stick. Crash groaned as he got back up, and he felt embarassed. He looked around, but he saw none of the villagers laughing. They were smiling, however.

_They don't seem as if they'd want to hurt me, _Crash thought. _Aku probably wouldn't allow them, then again. But that doesn't mean it can't happen. Papu Papu seems to like me quite a bit, though. So maybe, even if I defeat him, he won't let them hurt me. They'll probably hate it if I defeat him. But then again, maybe they won't. I'm not sure. To be honest, the only things on my mind are finding Dingodile and the other experiments. I need to defeat them. If only I knew where they were. This is getting stressful, not knowing where to go next. But I'll find my way soon enough. I'll find some way to find them. Aku'll probably help me in some way, but I'll wait until after this is over. For right now, I need to look over what's happening. I need to find the right way to defeat Papu Papu. I need to defeat him soon. My leg is beginning to heal, it seems, and that'll help in the battles with the experiments and Cortex._

Crash's thoughts were halted by another swing of the burning staff. He dodged it again, but he made sure that it came quite close to him so that the villagers thought he was being pushed into the corner.

"Well done," he heard Aku-Aku say. But it sounded so close to him, while he was many feet away. He wondered if the voice was in his mind. But he didn't keep his mind on the idea long enough, as he was forced to dodge again. The idea his mentor was watching over him still was a good sign, in his opinion. But he wanted to do something on his own for once. Just for the moment. Then he heard the voice again: "As you wish. I'll be here if you need me."

Crash nodded. The flaming staff came back down, and Crash jumped over the flames caused by it. He found his chance suddenly, and he jumped onto Papu Papu's back. He used the spin technique one last time, and Papu Papu coughed a few times. As Crash jumped off, he heard the groan. He turned around to see the village chief fall to the ground. A minute later, Papu Papu sat up, and he looked to Crash. "You are amazing," he complimented. "Your mind works better than anyone else's. I've never been able to think so well during a battle, and you've shown me it is possible for others. Well done, Crash. You've proven you are an ally to us. You decide to use your power for good, which is something I admire. Thank you for all you've given us."

"What do you mean?" Crash asked. "What have I done for you guys? I don't think it's much, if it is anything."

Papu Papu asked. "Oh, Crash," he said, and laughed again, slapping his large belly. "You've given us hope, my boy. Of course, you are no boy, but that's just a saying, so don't take it as anything more. You will be the one to defeat Cortex. I know this for sure. You are the one who will free the islands from his evil rule! Thank you, Crash."

Crash felt great. He had never thought he would get a chance such as this. He had only been created recently, and yet he'd already gone through a lot: meeting a mentor who had proven his worth to him, being betrayed by the other experiments after being found out by them, escaping death and then looking it in the face, and then finding allies in the form of the Natives. He would have never thought it possible, and now it was. He smiled to himself. He looked over and saw Aku-Aku smiling at him. The mystic mask finally came over and said, "Well done, Crash. You've done a lot for them already, I must say. I believe your training is still incomplete, however."

"What do you mean?" Crash asked.

"I'll be teaching you a few new things soon," he replied. "Just wait, and we will see."

Crash nodded, then turned his attention to Papu Papu. The village chief said to him, "Follow me to my quarters. I must speak to you. You and Aku, of course."

Crash did so. He saw the quarters for Papu Papu were quite large. When they entered, he found it was all one room. A bed was in one corner, a sink and a stove in another.

"It's not much, but it's home," Papu Papu said. "The only problem is the toilet. Sometimes, you have to improvise when you have to go so badly. But the sink's been cleaned recently, so you shouldn't have to worry all that much." He chuckled, while Crash and Aku looked to one another with strange expressions. "I've received information recently that the experiments are headed for the main waterfall. I've also heard some other news I'm not happy about. It's something I didn't want to speak about at dinner tonight, because it was a good, hearty affair. It's a horrible thing…The three experiments came across an outpost. They killed all the warriors in some of the worst ways possible. Fortunately, no one else has been killed. But some of those warriors had families here, and so we must mourn for them soon. I'll reveal the news tomorrow, but for now, we must allow the villagers to enjoy their night. We cannot let them be saddened this night, though I do not feel right not revealing this info."

"It is only normal," Crash said. "There's a lot going on, you have to understand. From this feast to the fact Cortex is planning something more, and the experiments' rampage. It's only a normal thing, hiding the truth until it is absolutely necessary to reveal it."

Papu Papu nodded. He looked over to Aku-Aku and asked, "Have you sensed anything more since being near the experiments? Do you know what they might be planning?"

"No," Aku replied. "There could be a multitude of things they're planning. But for the moment, it is all unknown. We have to wait for the moment. When the time comes, we will be ready, however. We know the path we must take. The experiments…where did they go?"

"Across the ocean. Once they reach the main waterfall, they will most likely separate from one another, and then two of them will reach the castle, likely stopping along the way at wherever the rest of the experiments are located. We've received reports from nearby villages that there is a mining operation at the volcano, and that a toxic waste plant was created on top of one of the mountains. Something must be done."

"I'll do it," Crash said. "I'll stop them."

"I know you can, Crash," Papu Papu said. "I was thinking of sending you earlier, but now something in my gut is telling me it is best you remain here and wait for the time being. We cannot risk your safety. You must wait for the moment, until we think of another plan."

"No!" Crash said indignantly. "Waiting will not help! We have to go soon! If we don't, Cortex might cause this whole island chain to become a wasteland! I'm pretty sure you don't want that to happen!"

Papu Papu nodded. "You are right," he said. "But when would you like to leave out?"

"Tomorrow, at dawn," Crash said. "I think I'll need to move across the ocean, but it'll be worth it. We need to stop those creations soon, and Aku and I are the only ones who can do it." He yawned. "If you ask me, it's time for me retreat to my quarters. Since I'll be leaving so early, I'll need to sleep for the moment. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

As Crash left, Papu Papu looked over to Aku. "You have to admit, he has bravery," he observed. "I've not seen such bravery in someone. Not even in my men. That means we'll have a chance to win this battle."

"Yes," said Aku. But we must be prepared for what is coming, you realize. Cortex has something more planned than just this. He's not stupid at all. I'm not sure, but I feel he might have a weapon he can use against us. I'm not sure what that weapon, nor do I wish to know, but there's no way we can defeat him once and for all without learning more about this…'weapon.'"

"You are right. But for now, let us forget that subject and talk more of what you shall do for Crash."

Crash lay on the wooden bed, awake. He wondered about what he would be facing soon. The madness that surrounded him seemed as if it would engulf him soon enough. He couldn't stand it almost, but he knew he would have to do so. He would have to swallow it down and understand more about it. In truth, he didn't have much of a choice. Cortex had never given him a choice, and so he thought choices couldn't come into the rest of his life, either.

_I'm not normal, _he thought. _I was experimented on by a monster, who created more like me who are complete monsters, as well. Tiny didn't seem as bad as I would have thought, but Ripper Roo is horrible, and even if it doesn't seem possible, Dingodile is the worst of them all! I have to defeat them all! I must be the one to defeat them all. Back when I was created, I felt as though Cortex was hiding something more from me. I don't know what that was, but I would love to know. It would help to know. With all that'll be happening soon, I could use some help. Aku is the best helper I have right now. I wish I had more. In all honesty, I wish I had a…a sister._

He'd never known that word existed, but now he did, and he was happy to know it. Almost immediately, he knew what it meant. He guessed that whatever had made him into what he was now had downloaded an entire dictionary into his brain. He hadn't even known what the word "dictionary" had meant minutes before! But now he knew, and it surprised him to think of all the things he could learn so very quickly.

But he sighed. He believed it would be better to have a companion with him, other thank Aku-Aku. The mask had done much for him already, nearly giving his life for him. But the thing was, Crash needed someone else to help him. He would never leave Aku behind, though. He was the greatest friend Crash had ever known. Before he'd met the Natives, Aku was his only friend. Tiny might have acted like a friend during the short time he'd spent with the other creations, there was no chance of having Tiny as a friend anymore. That much was certain.

He heard the door open, and Aku appeared. The door closed behind him, and it was still strange to think he could close the door with only so much as a thought.

"Crash?" he said. "How are you feeling? Is everything going good for you right now?"

"A little," Crash said. "I wish I knew more about what I was. I know I'm a Bandicoot, and I know Cortex caused this all to happen to me, but I wish I knew more answers. In this madness, there's probably not much of a chance, but that doesn't mean I can't try to learn more."

Aku smiled at him. "The truth is, Crash," he began, "not everyone gets the chance to learn their destiny. At the moment, not even you know your destiny. All you know is what you've just told me, as well as the adventure you've already gone through. And now, the adventure begins again. You have decided to put the weight of this mission upon your shoulders. You decided you would fight until the end against Cortex and his experimentations. But you must realize, Crash, there are times in life where you will look in the mirror and ask yourself, 'Is this really who I was meant to be? Or was I meant to do something else?' I've asked myself those questions before, so I know how it feels. I will do all I can to help you, though. This world is big enough for the two of us, so there's no need to wonder where I might fit in. However, the only problem you face are your thoughts. Your thoughts can hinder you. You must stop those thoughts when they arise. I will help you with that, but there are times when I cannot do so. I cannot do everything for you, my friend. You must learn some of these things on your own. Do you understand what I am saying, Crash?"

Crash nodded. "I do," he said. "Now, if you ask me, I'm going to bed. I'll keep all those thoughts in my mind. I have a lot to think about now, of course, and it's a lot to take in, but that doesn't mean I can't try." He smiled one last time at the floating mask. "Goodnight, Aku."

Crash fell asleep almost as soon as he placed his head on the pillow. Aku was surprised at the fact he could sleep so soundly at the moment. But then he thought, _Crash deserves it. We've all gone through a lot in the past few days. It's best we all try to get some sleep._

Aku-Aku stayed up a little longer, watching over Crash as he slept, and then finally, he closed his eyes and fell asleep as well. He just hoped Crash was ready for tomorrow. Because he knew the possibility it might be the hardest and the longest day of his short life.


	13. Dew On the Grass

**Yes, another late update. I'm still real sorry about it, but I'll do my best to keep you guys interested. Please stay with me until the end.**

* * *

**Dew On the Grass**

Crash woke in the morning to find Aku-Aku watching him. The floating mask smiled at him and spoke softly, "Welcome back to the land of the awake. I was just about to wake you, but it seems you have everything in order. There are things that need to be done before we leave for the main waterfall, however. Many things, at that."

"What do you mean by that?" Crash asked. "I thought we wouldn't have to worry about much more for the moment. I'd rather get on the ship and get over to the waterfall. We need to hurry, just in case."

"I understand your concern," Aku said. "But here's the thing, as you say: We will not be traveling across the ocean to make it to the waterfall. We will be walking there. The waterfall is on this island as well, Crash. We just have to hurry. You want to hurry, and so we shall. But we must be careful. Your leg seems hurt still, and so we must go at a pace that is quick, and yet won't cause the pain to erupt. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," said Crash, knowing the mask was right. He got to his feet and hurried outside, where he found Papu Papu speaking to a group of warriors, who sat before him. They all seemed enraged, and Crash guessed it was because they'd just heard the news of the deaths of some of the other warriors. A cry of outrage came from one's throat, and he began to speak out about the situation put before them.

"So are you saying these creatures who killed our men came from the same place as Crash?" he asked. "I trust Crash, but I must know, how do we know he will not turn on us? After all, as you said, they came from the same place, chief!"

"They came from the same place, yes," Crash said, "but they are different than I am. Something went wrong when I was made into a general. Cortex knew it, and that is why he made those other experiments make an attempt on my life. I'm on the run from them, but today, I am going to make sure they know who I am. I'm not going to allow them to think me a coward. I'm much stronger than that, and that has been proven, I believe, by running through your Native Fortress and taking on your chief."

Papu Papu turned to Crash. "You are correct," he said. "You show much bravery and strength, Crash, and many of us know you are not one of those creatures. But we must be certain you will not turn on us in the future. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Crash nodded. "I do," he said. "There's a lot of ways that can happen, but I'll make sure it doesn't happen, Papu Papu. I'll make sure those experiments are destroyed. I won't allow them to come to this village and harm any of your men. They killed all those warriors, and that means they deserve something to happen to them."

The warriors in front of them nodded in agreement. Crash looked to Papu Papu, who said, "Follow me. I must show you the path to your destination." Crash did as was said. He surveyed the scenery before them, seeing the dew on the grass, how it sparkled in the dawn's light. It all seemed so peaceful, and Crash did not wish for the feeling to end. But today, battles would break out. Crash just hoped they would end in favor of those who knew the truth and were good-hearted.

Papu Papu stopped before a field and pointed north of them. In the distance, Crash saw a waterfall. He knew that was where he would find Dingodile and the other experiments.

"Go through this field and find them," Papu Papu explained. "The waterfall will be on the other side. It should not be hard getting through. And then, when you have finished at the waterfall, if some of them escape, there is a hidden boat beneath the rock under your feet. It is magically sealed, and only a password will open the seal."

"What's the password?" Crash asked.

"Aku-Aku already knows," Papu Papu told him. "So you should not have to worry much more. Now go, Crash. Face your enemies, and make sure to tell them you fight for the island. Not just the Natives, but also the island. Or you could say something else, but it is all up to you."

"I will tell them I fight for the Natives and the island," Crash said. "The Natives gave me a shelter and a home, and that shelter and home is the island. I will make sure to make them pay for what they have caused. They have made wives widows and children fatherless. Those who do such things deserve to pay for that, especially these."

Papu Papu nodded. "Then go."

Crash nodded back, and he and Aku were about to begin their journey when Papu Papu presented them with a pack. "Use this when all seems bleak," was all he said before walking away. The cryptic message made Crash think for a moment. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to take from that, but he decided it was time to move.

Both he and Aku-Aku knew the trek would take at least an hour, and that made them wonder what they were supposed to talk about, as talking seemed the best thing to do.

"So do you think they'll all be there?" asked Crash.

"I'm not sure," Aku said. "If not, then at least we have a way to travel across the ocean to the next island. After the fight, whoever we've fought will likely attempt to escape. If you ask me, we'll be fighting Ripper Roo. He seems the best candidate. But it could be Tiny or Dingodile. I know there are more experiments, but it must be one of those three over there. Or maybe all three of them are there. We can't be too sure, now can we?"

"No," Crash said. "We really can't. So long as I don't face death again, I'll be fine."

"I'm sorry for leaving you there to face Dingodile afterward," Aku apologized.

"What are you talking about?" Crash said. "None of that was your fault! You left to get help! I fully understand what you were doing! All that matters is that you're still my friend here, and you've pledged your loyalty to me. You seem the most trustworthy person I've met…well, the most trustworthy mask I've met. You're the only floating mask I've ever met, so you are the most trustworthy. The most trustworthy person I've ever met would have to be Papu Papu. He's hard not to trust."

"Yes, he's certainly trustworthy. He did not listen to me at first when I found him, however. At the mention of a wounded Bandicoot, he licked his lips. In all honesty. I think he was hungry, but at least that boar from last night was a good substitute. I ate some of it, and it tasted real good."

"You can eat?"

"Yes. Of course, you don't understand, because I seem to only be a floating mask. But I have a throat and a heart and a stomach, as well. I put those in to become this mask. I understand the confusion, however. I will explain later all I did. It's a long story, and though this trek will take a while, this doesn't seem the time to do this."

Crash nodded. "I remember you mentioned you had a brother that you sealed away," he said. "What would happen if he were released from that prison? Would he do something?"

"Oh yes. He would attempt to destroy the world. But he's sealed away, and he cannot be freed by normal means. A blood price is required for one of the locks to break. There were four other locks, however, and I don't even remember what they were. It would be hard to break them all, however. I am sure Uka-Uka cannot escape."

"His name is yours backwards?"

"Yes, a strange fact, I know. Our mother did it for some reason, and not even I know the reason behind it. She died so long ago, I know, but I know that if she were still alive, she would be ashamed by his actions. She's probably watching us right now from above, thinking, 'What has my second child done?' I loved Uka-Uka, but he went too far by killing those people. Fortunately, we will not have to deal with his madness."

Crash thought about everything for a moment. A lot of what he thought was mixed up, but he still knew everything would come clear to him once he found himself in battle. _So there was someone even more evil than Cortex and his creations, _he thought. _If that's possible, then I'm glad I'll never face that monster. He might have been Aku's brother, but that doesn't mean I can't call him evil._

In the distance, the waterfall could be seen. His legs were not hurting yet, and he was glad. He wished he could float like Aku, but he decided it was only part of the journey he was taking. He knew there was no point in arguing about it with anyone, as once again, it was only normal.

_I've just gotta keep going, _he thought again. _This will definitely take me a while, but I don't care. I need to make it to the waterfall before something bad happens. Who knows, with the speed I'm at right now, something bad could be happening already. But I hope not._

* * *

The three creations stood at the base of the large waterfall. Dingodile stayed as far away from it as he could for the moment, as his mind was bent of burning Crash to death, and he wanted the flames to come right then and there, without any trouble whatsoever.

"So when will he be coming?" Ripper Roo asked. He was hopping up and down. His mind was on killing Crash, as well, even though he knew Dingodile wanted the chance for it.

"Soon," growled Dingodile. "We're going to leave you here for the time-being. Whatever you do, don't kill him. Cortex wants the dunny rat to live for as long as he can until we reach the castle again. Let's just hope I don't get too angry at the mozzie."

"You seem tense," Tiny acknowledged.

"Grouse, you noticed something," Dingodile snapped. "I'm not in the best mood right now. Learning the freaking scoundrel is still out there means that I've got to go through even more freaking crap! So don't you dare give me any knock back, a'right?"

Tiny nodded. "No need to be that way for long, Ding. It won't help you in the long-run," he said.

"Ah, rack off! I don't need anymore of this ear-bashing, got it, Tiny? Now let's get our butts out of here. I can smell Crash on the downwind, and Heaven knows he's probably got the freaking mask with him. We can't be here. We gotta get ourselves to Koala Kong, then Pinstripe. Maybe we'll run into a coupla other along the way."

He and Tiny walked off, leaving Ripper Roo to think of all that had just been said.

A ship lay in wait for them. It wasn't large or spectacular or anything of that sort, but it was good enough for their travel across the ocean. That was all they needed, they believed.

"And away we go," Dingodile said as they sailed off.

Ripper Roo watched them, and then jumped when he heard a rock move out of place. He whirled around to find Crash standing there. Crash seemed to be unharmed almost from the Native Fortress incident, which surprised Ripper very much.

"So, where's the others?" Crash asked.

"On their way to another island," Ripper replied. "You're never going to make it there. Because once I'm done with you, I'm sending you right back to the castle, so that Cortex can kill you, and so that we can feast on your flesh!" He cackled. That cackle was beginning to get on Crash's nerves.

"You and the others killed those men from the village," Crash said. "You're a monster. You're all monsters. What in the name of God was that supposed to help you to do?"

"Nothing," Ripper said. "We just wanted some nice bloodshed. There's nothing wrong with that, now is there?"

Aku-Aku appeared, and Ripper Roo seemed to stiffen. "The darn mask!" roared Ripper Roo. "You brought the freaking thing here? Oh, you little freckle! I'm gonna kill you both!"

"I thought you meant to preserve me?" Crash reminded him.

"Ah, screw it, there's no point!"

"And now we fight, am I right?" Aku asked.

"Yes," Crash replied.

Crash was ready for his first true battle. He was tired, but he was ready nonetheless. He believed he would be able to make it through the battle and get to the other side of the ocean soon enough. He just had to take out Ripper Roo. How hard was that?

But he had no idea…


	14. The Waterfall

**The Waterfall**

Crash prepared himself, hoping to find weaknesses somewhere in Ripper Roo's movements. But the conniving, insane blue Kangaroo was quick and his attack patterns were such that they could not be prepared for. Crash expected about as much, as he could not hop like Ripper Roo. That much was obvious to him now, and he wasn't going to let it hold him down. He was stronger than that, and he had Aku-Aku after all. How hard could this fight possibly be?

"Come on, little Bandicoot!" Ripper Roo cackled. "Fight back! Fight back so you don't die!" He laughed again and swiped his long claws at Crash, who dodged. He was very hesitant about attacking Ripper Roo head-on as a result of those claws, which he knew could easily cut through flesh.

_No pattern to find in this one, _Crash thought. _I've never fought one of these…experiments…before. So I don't know if there's a pattern in any of the movements they do. It's too hard to comprehend all that Cortex has given them. But I've got to try and defeat this thing before he kills me. So far, he's using moves I can easily dodge, but thinking back to what's been said, I thought I heard he can control explosions, or something of that sort. Now that makes him all the more dangerous._

Another swipe of the claws, and once more Crash dodged. He decided to taunt Ripper Roo to get him even angrier, which would hopefully expose some hidden weakness within him, allowing Crash to take advantage.

"Come on, you bludger!" he yelled. "Come and hit me with everything you've got! I'm sure there's no way you can possibly hit me! I'm stronger than all three of you screw-ups combined! I could probably take on all three of you at once! Hit me with your best shot! 'Fraid you'll miss, eh?"

"Rack off! At least I'm not some turncoat who decided to leave us when we needed you most!" Ripper Roo growled. His swirling eyes were becoming larger, and Crash took that to mean he was becoming more angry and deranged. "Dingodile's always been right about this. He knows things you don't, and he was right about your betrayal. At first, I wouldn't have cared about it, but then that darn mask came around and screwed you! Your little turncoat self deserves a good stab through the heart!"

_He has a good understanding of his anger, _Crash realized. _He's using it to fuel himself and make himself even stronger by using his ego. This could make him an even harder opponent than he already is. Oh Lord, help me now._

Ripper Roo cackled again, and he stopped hopping for a few seconds. "I'm sure you want to know why I wear this straitjacket," he said. In all honesty, Crash did not, but before he could answer, Ripper Roo continued on with the story. "You see, when I was being experimented upon, it was even more painful than the death I'm about to give you, possibly. It was so painful, in fact, that I scratched at my face, caused myself to bleed. There are still stains in the chair from the blood I lost. It was thanks to a blood transfusion from another Kangaroo I survived. Turns out, they were part of my family, according to Cortex, and he used the last of the blood somewhere else. At least, that's what he told me. But anyway, the Evolvo Ray did many things to me, including: turning my fur blue, making my eyes swirl around in such a way, and giving me the ability to control the explosions of Nitro and TNT crates. Oh boy, I can't wait to kill you!" He cackled again. "There are three levels to this waterfall, and I just want to see how many we can go through before I finally kill you! Only problem is, these platforms love to change, and if they take too much damage…" He made a slicing sound, and motioned the slicing of his throat with the claws on his right foot, amazing Crash with his flexibility.

Then he hopped to the middle of the platform they were on at that very moment, and he hopped down on it again and again, very hard, and suddenly, Crash heard the cracking of stone, and he turned around, seeing the platform had broken away from the slope that curved down from the banks. He looked to Aku-Aku, whom he realized had stayed silent during the whole story and the introduction of the battle.

"Do not think I've forgotten of your little mask friend!" Ripper Roo said. "Oh no, he's much too valuable for me to forget him. In fact, I have an idea: LET'S JUST GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" He cackled louder than before, and he began hopping all around the platform. Crash dodged a swipe of his claws, and then was forced to dodge again. It seemed the deranged Kangaroo's speed was increasing. Crash wondered when he would provide a real challenge, however.

"Come on, Ripper, you can do better than that, I'm sure!" Crash taunted, and he laughed, as did Aku-Aku.

"SILENCE, FREAK!" Ripper Roo roared.

"I have a plan, Crash," Aku stated. "Just hold on for the moment. I'll be right back. Try not to get yourself killed."

"I'm already doing that," Crash growled. He saw Aku leave, and he sighed. He was alone now, and that made him all the more vulnerable, a horrible fact.

Suddenly he felt something moving beneath him, and he realized the part of the platform he was standing on was moving. He jumped to another, and he saw the platform break into many pieces, which floated away in the rushing water beneath the platform. He sighed with relief, knowing he couldn't swim at the moment and that if he'd fallen in, he would most assuredly be dead now.

He saw Ripper Roo coming, and he dodged again. The Blue Kangaroo's claws missed, but there was something different that appeared within him suddenly, something that made Crash very apprehensive. A red aura now floated around him, and Crash remembered the fact he could control the explosions. He ran for his life as Ripper Roo jumped higher than before and landed harder than before.

And there was a glowing red indentation in the stone as he leapt off it. Crash knew it was dangerous as soon as he saw it, and he jumped away as fast as he possibly could. The explosion rocked the platform, and pieces of it went flying everywhere. One of them was sharp, and it lodged itself in Crash's uninjured knee. He groaned in pain, feeling blood dripping down his leg.

"I did say this party was going to be starting soon, did I not?" Ripper Roo asked.

As he cackled again, Crash's anger nearly got the better of him. But he held it back, knowing he could expose a weakness within himself if he showed the anger to Ripper Roo.

"Oh, isn't this just a happy day?" Ripper Roo asked sadistically. "I love days like this, where you can just be yourself, and no one in their right mind will judge you for it."

"Judge you for it? Are you stupid or something? I can judge you for so much right now. You're a killer! I remember hearing what you and the other two did to those warriors, and that was just sickening! What kind of monster are you really?"

"There are many things you don't understand about us," Ripper Roo said. "We're what you might call evil, but only in your eyes. When we were created, we felt as if we had purpose. We still have purpose, and we always will. The reason for our being alive is that we are made to kill whoever stands in the way of Cortex and his goals. You will not stop him, and neither will we, if we even want to, we can't. We've got something in us or something like that, and there's no way for us to kill you, it seems." His crazy eyes widened as if he'd said something too much, and he growled. "CRAP IT!"

The red aura surrounded Ripper Roo, and Crash dodged out of the way as he jumped high up and landed. But this time, the Blue Kangaroo jumped on several stones, and they glowed red. The explosion came once more, and Crash was caught in the shockwave.

He landed hard, tasting blood. He'd bitten his tongue. He spat the glob of blood out, turning the swirling water between the crack in the stone a shade of red-pink. He looked around, and he realized Ripper Roo had his claws to his neck. He realized this was the end.

And then a rock landed on Ripper Roo's head, causing him to roar out in pain.

Crash looked up and found Aku-Aku floating there. "What took you so long?" Crash asked.

"I had to wait for the right moment," Aku-Aku replied. "I think I found it."

Crash laughed. He looked to Ripper Roo and found that he was bleeding from the crown of his skull. A sudden green aura surrounded him, and Crash knew suddenly to get out of the way.

As Ripper Roo jumped high up, the green aura completely encased him, and he landed in the middle of the stones. At the same Crash jumped over one of the missing stones, over the water, and he thought to himself, _I won't be able to shield myself from the blast radius_.

But Aku came down and landed in his hands. "Use me as a shield!" he yelled. "QUICK!"

Crash did as the mask said, he put it in front of him. Aku glowed with a green aura as well, and as soon as Ripper Roo came down, there was a loud sound of shattering glass. At least, that was what the explosion sounded like. The stones all around Crash cracked, and many fell into the swirling water, leaving only six behind out of the forty that had once been.

Aku-Aku released himself from Crash's grasp, and Crash found Ripper Roo was dizzied from the blast, and he could barely stand. Crash realized this was his chance, and he jumped to that stone, the middle one, and found it large enough for the both of them to stand on. He punched Ripper Roo several times, and then performed the spin, knocking him back. Now Ripper Roo was bleeding from the right side of his mouth. He didn't seem to be breathing almost.

And then…

He jumped up, kicked Crash back, and jumped across the gap between a cave and the platform. Crash looked down, expecting to see scars and blood, but was grateful that it was not true. He hurried toward the cave and jumped into it. He found himself in the damp tunnel, and he heard the sounds of the insane Kangaroo echoing throughout.

"Come on, Crash!" said Aku-Aku. "We have to follow him and stop him! He cannot get away!"

Crash nodded, though he did swallow a little. "All right," he said. "Let's do this, then." However, there was a pang of deep, horrible fear that had struck its way his heart.

"Come and catch me, Bandicoot!" screamed Ripper Roo as Crash began running toward him. Crash saw the Blue Kangaroo standing there, and as Crash got closer, Ripper Roo jumped up and a red aura was left behind. Crash hid himself behind a boulder as the explosion rocked the cave, causing pieces of the ceiling to break off and crack the ground in front of Crash.

He hurried through and found a gap waiting for him at the end of the winding passage. In front of it was another platform, where Ripper Roo awaited Crash, hoping for his chance to kill the Bandicoot with either the explosions or his claws. But Crash told himself he wouldn't allow that to happen.

"This is where it ends, Ripper!" Crash told him. "You've gone far enough, and you and the other two, as well as Cortex, have crimes to answer for! You won't be getting out of this one!"

"Oh Crash, so delusional," laughed Ripper Roo. "What you don't understand is that Cortex is too well-guarded for the tribe to attempt to kill him. There are more experiments around these islands, including Pinstripe and Kong, both on the second island. They're waiting for us, and we can't leave them waiting. If you kill me now, you jeopardize the islands and the tribe!" He cackled. "Oh Crash, you little fool!"

He closed his eyes and released a shockwave of red energy. Crash dodged it, and he heard an explosion behind him. He heard the sound of rocks cracking and falling into the water below. Looking down, he realized that if he fell from this height, he would be killed instantly.

"Let's do this, then," Crash said, preparing himself for what was to come.

Ripper Roo jumped around the platform, leaving no trace of the auras. That surprised Crash, but he realized he was just playing around with everything, and he told himself to be more careful, knowing the dangers of underestimating one of the experiments.

"Crash, I'm going to leave as I did last time," Aku-Aku said. "I have yet another plan, and you have to listen to me now. Do you understand what I am telling you?"

"What, you think I'd just stop listening to my guide who just so happens to be a floating mask?" Crash joked as he dodged a swipe from Ripper Roo's claws. "No way. Go, but hurry. If he does one of the Nitro attacks, I don't know what'll happen."

Aku-Aku nodded, and he flew off to do whatever the heck he was going to do, which Crash had no idea about. He was too focused on his current predicament to think of all Aku was doing.

"Here we go!" Ripper Roo screeched, and he jumped hard onto the platform, and when he left, he left behind a red aura. Crash took cover as it exploded. But this time, unlike the others, he realized it had taken away more of the stones of the platform, leaving a little more than three-quarters left.

_Three or four more, and this platform'll be destroyed completely! _Crash thought. _This isn't going to end well unless I'm able to turn the tides, which will hopefully come when Aku returns. What in the name of God is he doing anyway?_

Crash suddenly noticed something about Ripper Roo. There was a piece of stone lodged in his right leg, and it was beginning to bleed. Crash smiled at the fact he now had some sort of an advantage. Ripper Roo's injury could possibly allow him to beat the Blue Kangaroo a little bit before being beaten off. His smile widened at the thought of the idea. He just hoped it would be enough for him to win the battle.

Ripper Roo left behind another aura, and to Crash's horror, it was green. But it was much smaller than the last one, and Crash was grateful for it. But he wondered how much damage it would cause. His question was answered for him not long after, and he jumped as a burst of Nitro energy swept under his feet. To his horror, he found every stone there had cracked. His eyes widened, and he looked to Ripper Roo.

"You're going to kill yourself before you kill me!" he yelled at him. "You're causing this whole platform to crack under our feet, and if you do another Nitro, then you're going to be unable to get into that cavern, unless you're really lucky."

"Oh Crash," Ripper Roo taunted. "Even if I die, all that matters is you dying. Cortex might want proof, and he'll get his proof, most certainly, but all he has to do is send Dingodile and Tiny to inspect, and they might possibly find your body. Then they have to bring the proof to Cortex, and he'll give them a reward, which will likely be Dingodile feasting on your flesh. He feasted on your predecessor, after all." He laughed like a hyena once more. "Oh boy, this is going to be a whole lot of fun!"

He jumped around quicker than before, and Crash was forced to dodge several times. He was not harmed during these moments, much to his relief. He wondered where Aku was with the distraction he would be providing him to defeat Ripper Roo.

Ripper Roo jumped hard on the platform, and Crash saw something. He hadn't seen before: a combination of both the TNT and Nitro energies. His eyes widened. He couldn't shield himself, as Aku was missing. But then he remembered fire would harm the mask, and suddenly he was grateful his companion wasn't there with him.

Crash saw the path to the tunnel was open. He knew it was his only chance, and he ran as fast as he could. Ripper Roo got in his way. Crash punched the Blue Kangaroo, performing the spin attack as well, and then jumped as far as he possibly could. He was able to make it, much to his great relief.

As the platform exploded, Crash felt pain in his back, and he found that Ripper Roo had also made it into the cave before the platform had exploded. He cursed beneath his breath.

"Such language!" cried Ripper Roo tauntingly. "And I thought you were a saint! How dare you!" He pretended to cry, laughing all at the same time. Crash's anger began to rise.

He punched Ripper Roo in the jaw and began pounding on him. Ripper Roo aimed a kick at him, his long claws outstretched. But Crash dodged, and Ripper Roo cursed beneath his breath, leading Crash to begin taunting him. He hoped it would help him in his dangerous situation.

"Really? Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? I expected more from you, Ripper Roo, but you instead decide to curse, and that's nothing good," Crash said, nearly laughing.

"SHUT UP!" the deranged experiment screamed. He groaned and jumped at Crash. When Crash dodged, Ripper Roo began jumping to the end of the cave, to the next platform.

Crash followed him closely, ready to fight him one last time, hoping it would all end after this last part of the fight. Then he would only have Tiny and Dingodile left to deal with.

The final platform was much larger than the last two, and there were patterns on every single one of them. Each showed some sort of symbol, and Crash wanted to take a look at them, but he was stopped from doing so by a cackle from Ripper Roo.

"Here we go," Crash said out loud. He would have said it in his thoughts, but he didn't feel like it for some reason. "It's time we end this, once and for all, Ripper. You're going down."

"I don't think so."

Ripper Roo spoke the words quickly, and concentrated. He jumped high up and landed hard, cracking the stone tile, leaving behind a small red-green aura. Crash heard the explosion as he ran from it, and looking back, he found it had destroyed five of the tiles. Altogether, the platform had sixty tiles.

"Welcome to—!" Ripper Roo began, only to be cut off.

"I don't think so!" Aku-Aku shouted from above. He was concentrating, and when he opened his eyes, the rocks around them cracked. They broke apart, and water burst out onto the two combatants. Ripper Roo and Crash were knocked down. Crash was the first to get up, and he ran to Ripper Roo, punching the Blue Kangaroo as hard as he could, spinning too.

"What else is Cortex hiding?" Crash roared above the sound of the cascading water. "Is there something else I should know before I pound your skull in, Ripper?"

But Ripper Roo said nothing. "No," he laughed. "There's nothing, little crap. You can go kill yourself for all I care. It doesn't matter. You're not going to live through this." Despite the water, blood dripping from a split lip, a bruised nose, and what seemed to be a few broken teeth. "This will all end soon enough." He cackled.

A red aura suddenly surrounded him again, and Crash thought of something that was very suicidal. He wasn't sure what Aku-Aku would say, but at the moment, he didn't care. He punched Ripper Roo once more, and then jumped on the Blue Kangaroo's head.

He jumped right off him and hurried to the edge of the platform, hoping the explosion would not hit him. He saw the red burst of light, and he heard many stones explode.

When he looked back finally, he found Ripper Roo all dazed. Crash saw him preparing for one last attack, however. He looked to Aku-Aku, who nodded at him. Crash saw the green aura, saw Ripper Roo jump high up, cackling as always, and saw him come down.

And he yelled out to Aku-Aku, who teleported him out of harm's way.

The Nitro blast destroyed the entire platform, and Ripper Roo was sent plunging into the raging waters far below, screaming the whole way.

Far off, Dingodile and Tiny were walking through the brush on the second island.

"Where in the name of God is the path?" Tiny complained. Despite his extra strength, they'd been walking long enough to make them both quite tired. Dingodile was even gasping for breath.

"Somewhere…around…here…" Dingodile wheezed out. "Let's just hope…Ripper killed Crash."

And then they heard the explosion far behind them, the sound resembling the shattering of a stained glass window, echoing across the two islands, above the treetops and through the forests.

"Oh grand," Dingodile said. He cursed beneath his breath. "I knew it."

"What?" Tiny asked. "You think Ripper failed in killing Crash and the darned mask? How the freak do you know?"

"Because he wouldn't have done that," Dingodile explained. "That wouldn't have killed the mask, and the mask can teleport away, I know. So Ripper just defeated himself. He allowed Crash to beat him." He cursed under his breath. "Crap it!" he yelled out finally. "What does it take to kill that wretched Bandicoot?!"

He held out his palm, and an orb of flame appeared there. Suddenly Cortex appeared.

"What is it?" Cortex asked. "What happened? Is the failure finally dead?"

"Unfortunately, no," Dingodile growled. "Ripper failed in his attempt. The stupid mask likely helped him to get away. Darn it all. Frick it!" He slashed a palm tree, his long, sharp claws cutting through it with ease.

"Calm down, Dingodile," said Tiny. The Thylacine looked to Cortex. "What should we do?"

"Get to the volcano," Cortex replied. "And then get to the factory. Pinstripe's been saying he's needed a hand in getting everything up and running, and we need more of the toxic waste. I've a plan, and the toxic waste will likely help us with that."

Dingodile and Tiny nodded. "What if the volcano erupts while we're there?" Tiny asked.

"Then run for your lives," Cortex replied, and he was gone.

"Funny, he said nothing about Ripper getting any sort of punishment," said Dingodile. "That should have occurred, but it seems it didn't. Oh well, we'll see how Ripper is when he finally shows up. We've got to hurry to the volcano and see how Kong's been doing with the manufacturing down there."

"And what if Crash comes to stop us?"

"Then we'll kill him. I'm still hungry, after all."


	15. The Second Island

**Okay, so I'll admit, I've been gone from this story for quite some time, and I sincerely apologize. This story will be nearly two years old by the time the end of the year comes, and while I'll be making sure it doesn't take me that long, I want to tell you how sorry I am it's taken so long since the last update. I promise I'll be more vigilant on my updates with this story, though you must remember I have other stories to finish at the same time. However, I'll make sure I don't wait a month each time to update. The next update will hopefully come within the next week or week-and-a-half. Have a nice day, and God bless!**

* * *

**The Second Island**

Crash opened his eyes, and he found himself in front of a fire. He looked around him, wondering what the heck had happened. He remembered the fight with Ripper Roo, and he wondered suddenly if something had gone wrong. But then he realized that if he'd been defeated, he would be dead by now, or he would be in chains at the castle where Cortex was likely waiting for his dead body to turn up in Dingodile's arms. So he knew that he was still alive. And as he looked around him, he found the reason why.

Aku-Aku floated there, watching him with a small smile. "Hello, Crash," he greeted. "How do you feel? It's been a little while since you were last awake."

"Where in the name of God are we?" Crash asked. "Is this still the first island?"

"No, this is the second island," Aku replied. "I decided to transport us here to save time. We'll be fine for now. It seems as if Dingodile and Tiny are nowhere to be found, fortunately. I used up too much of my power teleporting us here." He looked to Crash, who now had sorrow in his eyes. "Do not blame yourself, Crash, this was not your fault. You needed me to help you. You were unconscious, and you would have died had I not done anything. I believe you are the one who will help me end the threat upon these islands. I want your help, if you will, Crash. Will you still follow me?"

"Of course!" Crash said. "I'll help you in anyway that I possibly can! I trust you with all my heart now, just so you know. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead a couple of times. I'm glad you're still around, because I'm sure there wouldn't be too many more that would stay with me, what with all that I've caused." He laughed a little, though it was mixed in with a little grimness.

"You've caused nothing bad so far, Crash," Aku said to him. "This is all because of Cortex. He has caused all this trouble to occur on the islands, and you have to understand that the worst that could come out of this as a result of your actions is that Cortex might explode with anger." Crash opened his mouth to say something, thinking it would be better for him to do so, but Aku continued speaking without letting him speak at all. "But if you defeat Cortex soon enough, you will be able to stop the monster from showing itself. There is a lot you do not understand, I am sure, and I am here to answer your questions. Speak your mind, Crash. I want to help you in this world. I am your guardian from now on, and I will protect you as well as I possibly can."

"All right," Crash said. He thought for a few minutes, hoping he could think of the right thing to say. His eyes nearly widened when he thought of the question he'd been wanting to ask for so long. "Why is Cortex doing this? Why does he want this animal army? Is it just because he take over the island, or is it because of something more than that? It's all so confusing, and I just want to know."

Aku sighed. "It all began nearly thirty years ago. Cortex was a young man who decided he wished to take over the world. He wanted to be better than anyone else. He started out at Madame Amberly's Academy of Evil." He laughed a little. "It's funny, the fact there is an Academy of Evil. But there is, and that is where many of those who created these creatures that work for Cortex. Likely, Cortex stole the information for creating the device that allows him to make you what you are, and he took it for himself. When he arrived, he started by making a factory within the dormant volcano that is, in fact, on this island, and that is where I believe we must go next, much to my discomfort."

"The volcano's dormant, though," Crash said. "Why should you be so scared of it?"

"Just because the volcano is dormant now does not mean that it will be dormant forever," Aku said. "But I entered the dormant volcano once, and though I hated it, because there was a chance I could have been caught, or that the volcano could have awoken from its metaphorical slumber. But while I was down there, I saw Cortex giving his plans to two men. These two men are known as Nitrus Brio and Nescient Gin. Nitrus is the one who created the experimental ray that creates you, I later learned. He also experiments with many different substances, and some of these act as a steroid. He gives it to some of the newborn creations after they've been experimented on, and that is what gives them this strength. How do I know this, you may ask? I know it because I spied on them whilst they remained within the volcano. They nearly caught me several times, however. I finally left after they left, as well. They had begun work on a castle, which is on the third island, as it turns out. This information makes this journey seem to be easier, which I want you to understand is not true. If it is even possible, it is only going to become harder from here on out.

"But back to the story. After they left the volcano, I found them at a factory they'd built at the very end of this island. The factory is where they are able to make even more of their experiments, and unfortunately, they empty the toxic waste into the ocean, which has ruined the environments around there, but fortunately, the pollution has not moved into the open ocean. I kept following them until the castle, but that is the last of the information on that I can give you, because I was captured by Cortex not long after. But there was something different about him. He seemed stronger than a usual human being. It surprises me still, but it doesn't matter. I was imprisoned in that box, somehow, and I had no way to get out of it. That is what brings us full circle to the close of this story, because you are the one who saved me from that box, and thanks to you, I did not have endure the torture any longer. As soon as I saw you, I knew you weren't evil, unlike the other experiments. I saw what the other experiments were like when I was down there. The first created was Koala Kong, followed by Pinstripe Potoroo, Dingodile, Ripper Roo, and Tiny. I saw them all come into existence. And now they are the most dangerous of all the beasts those three men already made. There were many failures, including a hybrid between a Kangaroo and a Gorilla. Cortex disposed of him with the lava. Another was a Walrus who had a hankering for meat. I do not know what happened to him, but I have a feeling he was murdered. But that is all I know."

"You don't know how Dingodile and the others were made?" Crash asked. "I mean, you don't know how they were able to receive their abilities?"

"No," Aku said. "Unfortunately. They were still…'newborn'…when I was caught by Cortex and put into that crate. But what matters right now is that we continue on with this journey. In the morning, I will wake you, and we will make our way to the volcano. Hopefully it stays dormant while we are still there." A grim laugh escaped the mask's lips. "But it could all be much worse, if you ask me."

Crash nodded. He sighed, and he lay his head down. He was hoping he would be able to sleep for some time before he was forced to awaken. But the only problem was, he wasn't sure what would be coming. The last time he'd seen Dingodile, he'd nearly been killed by him, and he couldn't take that. He had to be stronger than the hybrid, that he knew.

As he closed his eyes, he found himself in the realm of dreams.

_The world all around him was beautiful. The grass was green. He loved the look of it. The sky above him was cloudless, and it was completely blue. The sun was shining brightly. The air around him was crisp, and he shivered as a breeze moved past him silently. But he loved that feeling. It made him feel even better than before._

_"What is this place?" he asked._

_"Your utopia," came a voice that he dreaded. "But the only problem is, you won't be able to cherish it much longer. From now on, this place is ours, Crash, and you are nothing to us. Good-bye, Bandicoot."_

_He felt a white-hot pain on his back, and he screamed out. He felt blood streaming through his fur, and he cried along with the pain. He heard Dingodile laughing, and Crash's anger became larger by the second. He couldn't take the horrible pain any longer. He was going to kill the hybrid, if it was the last thing he did._

_"Come on, you stinking freak, let's fight," he said._

_He got to his feet and whirled around. But the Dingodile he'd been expecting to see was not the one he'd thought to find in front of him._

_This one's eyes were pupil-less, his snout covered in dark blood, which almost seemed fresh, and his fur was matted with the blood. Along his throat was a gaping gash, and in his chest was a still-bleeding hole. Crash looked at the demonic creature in horror, wondering how this was even possible._

_"What in the name of God?" Crash breathed._

_"You think you're safe?" Dingodile asked. The demonic hybrid laughed. The laugh seemed almost distorted. "You delusional fool. Cortex really did make a mistake when he created you. But that won't matter much longer. All that matters now is that you die. All that matters now is that I fulfill what Cortex asked of me. If I don't do this, he will kill me, and if I am killed, I will come back to haunt you. I will be the poltergeist that haunts your dreams and rips your heart out when you least expect it."_

_Crash was even more scared by this. But he prepared himself for the battle that was coming his way. He wouldn't fail in this battle. He would make Aku proud of him._

_He ran at Dingodile and aimed a kick at his chest. But the hybrid dodged him, and hooked his claws into Crash's leg. Crash resisted the urge to scream out in horrible pain, which was very hard for him not to do. It was as if Dingodile's claws were on fire, which made it even worse. He kicked back, but his other leg was caught, leaving him with his hands on the ground. He wasn't sure how he was going to get out of the predicament, but then he realized what he could do._

_He performed his spin attack, and it worked suddenly. Dingodile growled, which sounded distorted as well, and he began punching and spinning him. But then, it all went south. As he punched Dingodile in the chest, he felt a horrible pain in his stomach, and he looked down to find Dingodile's claws there. The blood poured out. He felt the pain increase, and he could no longer take it._

_He fell to the ground, and he heard Dingodile laughing above him. "This is almost too funny," he said. "And here I was, thinking I would be taken down by someone such as yourself. But it seems that was silly of me to think. I'll be the one who gets the last laugh now."_

_Crash groaned. He felt the blood pouring out of him. He felt the horrible pain in him. He wanted it all to end, but he knew it likely would not anytime soon. He heard Dingodile still laughing, and then more laughs seemed to join his. Despite the great pain it caused him, he looked up to find that Dingodile was no longer alone. Along with the hybrid were Tiny, Ripper Roo, Cortex, and others Crash did not recognize, though he felt as if he knew their names. He couldn't take it any longer._

_"Just kill me," he said._

_"What was that?" Cortex asked. "Just kill you, you ask? Why, yes, I think we'll allow that answer. Dingodile, would you do the honors for us?"_

_"With pleasure," said the hybrid, and he came forward. Crash attempted to scurry away, but it didn't work. He had his leg—the injured one—stomped upon, and he screamed out in horrible pain. He felt pain in his chest, and when he looked down, he found the hole in his chest, blood pouring out._

"AHH!" Crash screamed, startled from his sleep. "What in the name of God was that? Jesus, that scared the crap out of me!"

"What was it?" Aku asked, coming over to him.

"I had a nightmare in which I was taunted by Dingodile and the others. It ended in my death," Crash explained. He found himself severely sweating. "God, I'm so tired. I need more sleep, but I feel as if that'll never come, thanks to all I've had to go through so far."

"I'll watch you," Aku said.

"No, I don't think I can sleep," Crash told him. "There's so much going on. It hasn't even been that long since I began this journey. I never knew I would be on this journey to begin with! It's been like Hell since I began! It's almost as if Cortex knew I was going to be an enemy of his from the start. That's definitely what he must see me as right now, especially after all that I've done. I took down one of his generals, so I can't blame him. And two of his other generals are on their way to kill me, most likely, or are planning to."

"No, they're not," said Aku. "They are on the island, however, and we must get on their trail soon. We cannot allow them to succeed. We must allow them only to make it to their next destination, but that is all. There is too much at stake. I wish I knew more about what was going to happen, but unfortunately, that is not possible, and for that, I am truly sorry, Crash." The mask sighed.

"Don't blame yourself," Crash said. "There might be a lot at stake, but that doesn't mean a darn thing. What matters most is that we actually succeed in stopping Cortex. While we should also take down the generals, it's Cortex that we really need to worry about, don't you agree? None of this is going to mean a freaking thing if we don't stop him. All will be lost if we stop the generals, but at the same time allow him to succeed in whatever he is planning."

Aku nodded. "I agree, and I am glad your vocabulary has become so much more sophisticated than what it once was." He sighed once more. "Well, if you wish, you may sleep now. I understand you just experienced a nightmare, but I am sure that if you allow yourself to fall asleep again, then you will be able to sleep for a few hours before I am forced to wake you once more."

Crash nodded. "I think I'll do that. Just wake me up if you sense any danger. I don't want to suddenly wake up and find myself staring into a pair of red eyes because you made a mistake. I'm sure you won't make one, but you never know, do you? You have to be constantly vigilant when it comes the world around us."

"And once again, your wisdom proves true," Aku said. "Now sleep, Crash. All will be fine when you wake. You have nothing to fear, for I am here, and I am your guardian. I will continue to protect you until I can no longer do so. You have proven to me that not all is lost, even though I once thought that myself. There is still hope in this world, and I have the proof of it. Now, go to sleep."

Crash nodded, and he lay his head on the ground once more. He knew all would be fine when he awoke once more. The mask had promised him that, and the mask's promises hadn't led him in the wrong direction yet. He would be fine when dawn came. And when he was finally forced to face his enemies, he would be ready.

A little farther away, Dingodile and Tiny had made their camp in the forest. Dingodile had lit the wood they'd gathered to make a fire, and they were both planning what they were going to do once they made it to the volcano. There was still so much they would have to do before they reached the castle again on the third island.

"I can't believe he defeated Ripper," Tiny complained for the umpteenth time. "I mean, Ripper Roo is one of the strongest creations Cortex has made! How in the name of God was the stupid orange freak able to succeed in defeating him?"

"Obviously, we underestimated Crash," Dingodile said. "Well, I haven't, but it seems as though you most certainly have. He's been trouble from the start, and while I'm sure we'll get rid of the pest soon enough, there's still a lot more for us to get through. We're going to have to wait until the volcano, because that'll likely be our last chance to do so. There's too much at stake here, Tiny. If we allow him to continue past the volcano, he'll discover the freaking factory, and we can't allow that! The good thing is, Kong'll help us take him out. I'm not much a fan of the stupid brute, but as I just said, he's a brute. You and him are the strongest of the creations. When it comes to physical strength, that is. With me and Ripper, it's the strength that comes from our abilities. I also happen to have a great mental barrier inside my mind. Unlike Ripper, I'm not too mentally challenged. I'm not saying that to be a female dog, but you have to understand, his insanity doesn't help him at times."

"I know," Tiny said. "He's a great ally, though, you can't disagree with that. We have to have that one crazy member of our group, though, you know? Every one of these creations has their own personal strength, somewhere. You're great at planning and control over the elemental abilities granted to you by the fire inside you, thanks to Cortex; I've been given great strength, even though I'm not quite as gifted when it comes to the brains, and the same goes for Koala Kong right there; Ripper's insanity helps him in some cases, though not in all, obviously, and he's not bad at controlling his abilities, though Crash was able to use them against him in their fight; and Pinstripe is pretty well thought-out when it comes to his planning to do with the factory, though he tries to be a little too much of a gangster. You know, he actually came up to me the other day and asked me about what he should do with his depleting rations, which were refilled not long after. He began talking about some kind of offer, and said, 'I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse,' referring to Cortex. I just told him to lay off the Brando kind of beer and the cigars for a while, then I told Cortex about the rations. I'll admit, he is a little crazy."

"It could be worse," Dingodile said. "We've gone through some screw-ups before. There was the one that came before Crash, there was that iguana-parrot hybrid that totally failed and got itself blown up by a bomb, and there was the gorilla-kangaroo hybrid called Rilla Roo that I just hated. Not as much as Crash, but I hated him a lot, nonetheless. I'm glad that freak is gone."

"Yeah," Tiny agreed. "Whatever happened to him? I don't know if I remember."

"Cortex shot him with his ray gun, set on the greatest level of power possible on that thing," Dingodile explained. "He let me eat the carcass afterwards. Not the most appetizing, but not too bad, nonetheless. But let's get past that. We need to make sure we're doing the right thing. We have to make it to the volcano tomorrow, and then to the factory a few days after that. There's a lot that needs to be done, and not much time left to do it all. Do you understand me?"

Tiny nodded. "How are we going to get into the volcano, though? It seems a little dangerous, doesn't it?"

"It's a freaking volcano, what in the freak do you expect? But there is a secret passage, one that will allow us to get in without being incinerated. You could go in from the top of the volcano, but that would require way too much climbing, and it would also require us to have to deal with the possibility of being incinerated. Not even my control over fire would save me from dying in there. If you catch it at the right time, then you can possibly enter that way, but most likely, that's not what's going to happen when it comes to us. If Crash is already on this island, then let's hope he doesn't find the passage."

"Where exactly is the passage located?" Tiny asked.

"Well, we're going to have to climb at least a little bit, but not too much, thank God. On the opposite side of the volcano, a little ways up, there is a door there, blending into the rock, and once we get there, we'll have to recite something."

"What are we going to recite? Is it some other language or something like that?"

Dingodile nodded. _"Parakaloúme, o archaío pérasma, mas epitrépoun tin eísodo. Eímaste edó móno gia éna mikró chronikó diástima. Epitrépste mas tin prósvasi, den mas arnoúntai," _he chanted. "I'll tell you the words again when we arrive. It has to be spoken twice, once by one voice, once by another. So I'll make sure you know it. We've got to get a move on by the time dawn arrives. Do you understand me?"

Tiny nodded. "Got it. Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning."

And soon enough, the two creations fell asleep.

Unbeknownst to them, however, Aku-Aku was floating above them, and he had heard everything. Now he had to get back to where Crash slept. He would remember the words, and when the time came, he would relay those words to Crash. He knew he had a chance to defeat Cortex, and he wasn't going to let that chance go to waste. The only problem was, there was still a greater danger he would have to face.

And he wasn't sure he would be ready to face it when the time came.


End file.
